Matt Burnell
Spence · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Christiana also said: We need Carnival to stop exploiting the workers. We work very long hours and get paid not even peanuts. Australia has built its reputation on fair wages, safe workplaces and respect for working people. Those values cannot stop at the water's edge.”
“Long shifts are routine, often stretching well beyond 12-hour days. Nobody should have to choose between protecting their health and keeping their job, and, after I heard this, nobody can convince me to go on a Carnival cruise in the future. The Maritime Union of Australia deserves enormous credit for exposing these practices.”
“This was about making sure those without a voice had someone prepared to stand up for them. That experience has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps that is why I reacted so strongly after meeting two former Carnival Cruise employees, Queen and Christiana, this week. What they described left me entirely appalled.”
“Queen and Christiana described having to purchase their own drinking water, Wi-Fi, toiletries and sanitary products while living on board. Basic necessities became another cost deducted from wages that were already impossible to live on. No employer should expect workers to pay simply to meet their most fundamental needs.”
“Thank you to the member for Mayo for that fine contribution to this House just now. Before I entered this place, I spent a decade working offshore in the Australian oil and gas industry.”
“I call on AMSA to ensure these rights are respected and enforced. I know the pride that comes from working in the maritime sector. I also know the sacrifices made by those who spend months away from their families to keep global trade and tourism moving. That commitment should never be rewarded with exploitation.”
The complete record
Every one of 653 lines we hold for Matt Burnell, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 14.
“The principle behind this bill is straightforward. If workers have earned their long service leave, they should be able to have access to it. If they have spent years contributing their skills, effort and dedication to an industry, that service should be properly recognised. This legislation strengthens the Coal Long Service Leave Scheme, improves compliance and ensures that more workers are connected with the entitlements they deserve, because fairness in the workplace is not just a principle we talk about in this place; it's something we must continue to deliver in practice for working Australians each and every single day.”
“When employers meet their obligation on time, the scheme has the resources necessary to ensure that long service leave entitlements are properly funded and delivered, and, when the system operates as intended, more workers gain access to the benefits they have earned through years of service. Taken together, these reforms represent a balanced and practical approach. They support workers by ensuring their entitlements are recognised and protected. They support employers by providing manageable pathways to meet their obligations, and they strengthen the Coal Long Service Leave Scheme so that it can continue to operate effectively for years to come, because fairness in Australia's workplace system depends not just on the rights we establish but on our ability to ensure those rights are delivered in practice.”
“This additional levy was designed to act as a penalty, encouraging employers to pay their levies on time. However, the rate used to calculate this penalty is linked to an interest measure that is no longer published by the Reserve Bank of Australia. As a result, the existing calculation no longer operates effectively as a deterrent. This legislation corrects that issue by introducing a modern and transparent benchmark. Under the new arrangements, the additional levy will be calculated using the Reserve Bank of Australia's cash rate. This change restores the original intent of the penalty, ensuring that late payments carry a meaningful financial consequence. At the same time, it provides a clear and publicly available reference point that is understood across the economy. Stronger compliance ultimately benefits workers.”
“They introduce simplified wage calculation methods, reducing the need for employers to reconstruct highly detailed historic payroll records. They allow for reasonable assumptions where historical data gaps exist, acknowledging that perfect records are not always available many years later, and, importantly, they enable payment arrangements to move forward without needing to resolve every historical data issue before progress can occur. This ensures that administrative complexity does not become a barrier to compliance or become a barrier to workers receiving their entitlements. Alongside these measures, the bill also strengthens compliance within the Coal Long Service Leave Scheme itself. It addresses a defect in the current framework relating to the additional levy that applies to late payments.”
“Employers who choose not to participate remain subject to the existing legislative framework, and, importantly, workers retain the ability to pursue questions regarding their eligibility for the scheme through existing mechanisms. In other words, the rights of employees remain fully protected. The bill also introduces a time limited opportunity for employers to access a more streamlined onboarding pathway into the scheme. At present, onboarding processes can take considerable time. In some cases, the process of bringing employers into the scheme has taken between 12 and 18 months. This can delay both compliance and the connection of workers to their long service leave entitlements. The new arrangements aim to significantly reduce that timeframe.”
“The legislation also ensures fairness where employers have already paid long service leave entitlements directly to workers. In some circumstances, employers have provided long service leave payments to employees when their employment ended. Without reform, those businesses could face the risk of effectively paying the same entitlement twice. To address this, the bill allows employers to deduct those direct payments from their historical levy debt. This ensures that workers still receive the entitlements they deserve while preventing unnecessary double payment by employers. Importantly, participation in the payment arrangement scheme is entirely voluntary. It is an opt-in system, allowing businesses to choose the approach that best suits the circumstances.”
“That extended timeframe recognises the scale of some historical liabilities while ensuring that the obligations are still met. It provides certainty for businesses and it allows the scheme to recover the funds necessary to support workers' entitlements. The legislation also introduces further incentive designed to encourage participation in the repayment framework. Employers who opt into the payment arrangement scheme will be eligible for a 20 per cent waiver on their historical levy debt. This measure recognises that many businesses are seeking to do the right thing once their coverage has been clarified. By offering a partial debt waiver, the bill supports employers with significant liabilities while encouraging them to come forward and engage with the scheme. It is a practical incentive that promotes cooperation rather than conflict.”
“These cases clarified that a number of employers who previously believed they were outside the scheme are in fact covered by it. As a result, some businesses have discovered that they now carry substantial historical levy debts. These liabilities have accumulated over time, often across many years of past employment activity. For some employers, the size of these historical obligations could present significant financial and administrative challenge if left unaddressed. This bill responds to that challenge with practical and balanced measures. It creates a pathway for employers to repay historical levy debts in a predictable and manageable way. Under the proposed arrangements, employers will have the ability to repay those debts over a six-year period.”
“This legislation also recognises an important reality facing many businesses operating in the black-coal mining industry. While the bill rightly focuses on connecting workers with their long service leave entitlements, it also acknowledges that employers must be supported to meet their obligations in a practical and sustainable way. The goal here is not to punish businesses that are trying to comply but to bring them into the system in a way that strengthens the coal long service leave scheme for everyone involved, because, ultimately, a scheme that works well for workers must also be one that employers are able to participate in with clarity and certainty. Recent legal findings in the Hitachi and Orica cases have provided much-needed clarity around coverage within the black-coal mining industry.”
“We must acknowledge that these workers are often deeply embedded in the day-to-day operations of the black-coal mining sector, yet historically some have found themselves outside the scheme because of technical disputes over coverage. This legislation helps correct that situation, ensuring that workers performing essential functions are properly recognised within the system designed to help protect them. The benefits will be felt across major mining regions of the country. Workers in the Hunter Valley, the New South Wales North Coast, the Illawarra, Central Queensland and regions like Mackay are among those who stand to gain access to their long service leave entitlements through these amendments. These are communities built on hard work, where generations of families have contributed to Australia's resource sector.”
“These include companies providing maintenance and repair services, ensuring that mining infrastructure operates safely and efficiently; labour hire firms that supply skilled workers to undertake maintenance and repair across multiple sites; employers of shotfirers, whose highly specialised work is essential to the safe operation of many mining activities; emergency service providers operating within the mining sector, responding to incidents and ensuring that workers are protected in some of the most demanding environments in Australia; and businesses responsible for testing, inspection and certification, work that underpins safety standards across the entire industry.”
“However, Coal Long Service Leave is already actively engaging with dozens of employers to assess eligibility and coverage. The businesses involved for possible long service leave alterations undertake a broad range of activities across the industry.”
“Where records are missing, reasonable assumptions will be permitted to help reconstruct service histories. These provisions are carefully designed to ensure that workers are not denied their entitlements simply because historical records are incomplete. In other words, the absence of paperwork should not erase years of hard work. By allowing reasonable assumptions to fill those gaps, the legislation helps to ensure that workers receive the recognition of entitlements they deserve. These reforms will benefit a wide range of employees across the black-coal mining industry. At this stage, it is difficult to quantify the exact number of workers who will ultimately benefit, because employers must first submit service records and eligible wage data to the scheme.”
“By ensuring accurate service records are established, the bill helps restore confidence that the scheme will operate fairly and transparently for both workers and employers. Importantly, this legislation also addresses a practical challenge that has prevented some workers from being connected to their entitlements. In many cases, historically, employment records are incomplete or no longer exist. Under existing record-keeping rules, employers are generally only required to retain employment records for seven years. But the reality of long service leave is that it is earned over far longer periods of time. As a result, workers who may have contributed to the industry years ago can find themselves without the documentation required to prove their service. This bill introduces sensible and fair solutions to that problem.”
“In effect, workers who'd contributed years of labour to the industry were left uncertain about whether those years would ever be properly recognised. That is why this legislation matters. This bill introduces measures designed to incentivise employer compliance with the coal long service leave scheme, with the clear goal of connecting workers to their full long service leave entitlements. Employers will be required to provide the necessary employment data, allowing the scheme to create or update service records for workers coming into the system. These records are essential, because they allow workers to begin accruing the entitlements that should rightly belong to them.”
“It is a practical and fair system, one that acknowledges the realities of work in the mining sector while protecting workers who contribute to an industry critical to Australia's economy. However, over many years, several employers have disputed whether they fall within the coverage of the scheme. In some cases, employers have argued that they did not employ eligible workers within the black-coal mining industry, even where workers were performing functions clearly connected to that industry. These disputes have had real consequences for workers. Because coverage was contested, some employees have been unable to accrue their service under the scheme. Others have found themselves unable to access the long service leave entitlements they have worked hard to earn.”
“This bill connects workers with their lawful long service leave entitlements, ensuring that the system designed to support them delivers on that promise. Eligible workers in the black-coal mining industry are entitled to portable long service leave, under the coal long service leave scheme. Portable leave exists because of the unique nature of the industry, where workers often move between different employers, projects and worksites across the course of their careers. Without a portable scheme, many of these workers would never accumulate enough continuous service with a single employer to qualify for long service leave. The coal long service leave scheme ensures that service across multiple employers is recognised, allowing workers to build up their entitlements across the industry as a whole.”
“Long service leave is one of the longstanding protections in Australia's workplace relations system—a recognition that, after years of hard work, loyalty and commitment, workers deserve time to rest and recover and to spend with the people who matter most to them. It reflects something deeply Australian: the idea that hard work should be recognised and that fairness in the workplace is not optional; it is fundamental. In keeping with that sentiment, this legislation, the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, is designed to ensure that workers in the black-coal mining industry can access a right that many of them have earned, but, for far too long, have been unable to claim.”
“It stinks more of fear and a hurt ego, when others look to tear down the very people trying to lift others up. We need to do better. I stand in this place proudly in support of Women in Government Relations Australia and of the founder, Sarah Cullens, and recommit my support to help provide mentoring for those looking to pursue a career in the government relations sector. I will close with words from Sarah: 'Real leadership is about creating opportunities, backing and nurturing talent and ensuring more voices are heard.'”
“I am proud to be part of a government with 50 per cent women and a majority women cabinet. We are better off for the collective contribution by women made in this place to our great nation. So it was with great pride that I attended the official launch of Women in Government Relations Australia last week, in the lead-up to International Women's Day. The global theme of 'Give to Gain' was fitting, with my good friend Sarah Cullens launching the new initiative, built on over two decades of hard work in the political arena, giving back to the sisterhood, in the government relations sector. It's a great move, to see more women lifted up and supported in a heavily male dominated workspace. So I am so deeply disgusted at the underhanded attempt to dress up misogyny by way of a veiled attack on lobbying groups in the Australian on Friday.”
“Easing the cost of living is not about one policy or one announcement; it's about sustained action, practical relief and building an economy that works for everyday Australians. At the end of the day, the best measure to ease the burden on one's living standards might be to consider limiting Billy Joel covers in the chamber.”
“Free TAFE has been made permanent, opening the door to skills and training for thousands of Australians who want to retrain, upskill and change careers, and we have cut student debt by 20 per cent, delivering immediate relief for people carrying a HECS or HELP debt balance. In communities across my electorate of Spence, that reform has helped more than 19,000 people see their student debt reduced, taking a significant financial weight off their shoulders and helping them move forward with confidence. Together these measures are delivering real support for real Australian households today, helping families to manage rising costs, to support their children and to plan for the future.”
“At the same time, we're tackling the underlying drivers of rising costs by investing in renewable energy to lower long-term power prices and supporting fair wage growth for low-income workers. We have also made medicines cheaper for millions of Australians. The cost of PBS prescriptions has been frozen at $7.70 for concession card holders, and capped at $25 for most other Australians, representing the largest cut to the price Australians pay for medicines in the history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme—something I'm extremely proud of, and I know every member on this side is too. Education and training is another area where we are easing pressure on household budgets while creating long-term opportunity.”
“It allowed her to return to full-time work, support her household and provide opportunities for her children through early learning. Energy costs are another major pressure point for households. That is why the Albanese Labor government has introduced the Cheaper Home Batteries Program, slashing the upfront cost of installing a home battery by around 30 per cent, helping families store the energy they generate, reduce reliance on the grid and bring down their electricity bills. In my electorate alone, more than 2,300 home batteries have already been installed. Families with rooftop solar and battery storage are expected to save around $1,100 on their power bills each year—that is real relief delivered directly to household budgets.”
“And, for the first time, superannuation will now be paid with paid parental leave, improving both the immediate financial security of families and the long-term retirement outcomes of parents, particularly women, which has been sorely needed for far too long. Child care has been made cheaper for more than one million Australian families, easing one of the biggest costs faced by working parents. Through Labor's new three-day childcare guarantee, families will have access to at least three days of subsidised early childhood education and care. This reform is already making a difference. I recently met a mother in the northern suburbs named Michelle, who told me the three-day childcare guarantee had been life-changing for her and her family.”
“That is money that can help cover groceries, pay power bills or help families manage rising costs of mortgages or rent. In my electorate, around 74,000 taxpayers have benefited directly from these changes. In fact, 91 per cent of taxpayers in my community are better off under Labor's tax plan. This relief will continue, with another tax cut coming in July this year. But tax relief is only one aspect of the support we are delivering. Rent assistance has been increased by 10 per cent, providing additional support for renters who need it most. We are also strengthening support for families welcoming a new child. Paid parental leave has been expanded to 24 weeks, giving parents more time at home during those critical early months of a child's life.”
“I know that many families across the north in my electorate of Spence are still feeling the pressure of rising prices and higher bills. The cost of groceries, rent, power and everyday essentials has climbed in recent years, and households are working hard just to keep up. That is why easing the cost-of-living pressure on Australian families remains our government's No. 1 priority. When costs rise, it is everyday households that feel it first, with families balancing budgets, working overtime and doing everything they can to get ahead. Since coming to government in 2022, Labor has delivered practical cost-of-living relief for millions of Australians. A key part of that relief has been tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer. Across communities in the north, those tax cuts have meant an average of $1,217 back into household budgets.”
“Thousands of ADF personnel have contributed to Operation Resolute over the years. Their professionalism and endurance deserve thoughtful recognition. As new exhibition spaces are developed, there is merit in considering an installation that acknowledges Operation Resolute not as a commentary on policy but as recognition of service—recognition that the defence of Australia takes many forms, from historic battlefields abroad to ongoing vigilance in our own region. The Australian War Memorial stands as a promise that those who serve will be remembered, from Tobruk to Timor, from the Boer War to Baghdad and in operations like Resolute. The redevelopment ensures that promise endures, that the memorial continues to educate, commemorate and inform. Lest we forget.”
“It has been encouraging to see the progress achieved, and I commend the memorial for remaining open throughout construction so students, researchers and families can continue to engage with its spaces. I thank Matt Anderson, the director, for his engagement over that time with myself and many people in this parliament. As the expanded galleries take shape, there is also value in taking time to reflect on ongoing operations close to home such as Operation Resolute, the Australian Defence Force's standing mission to protect our maritime borders. It brings together Navy, Army and Air Force personnel working alongside the Australian Border Force. Through maritime patrols, aerial surveillance and interception tasks, it safeguards Australia's sovereignty. It is sustained, demanding service often carried out beyond public view.”
“That inclusion strengthens understanding of Australia's full historical experience. The project incorporates significant upgrades to protect the national collection, improve accessibility and create better educational spaces. Central to this is the new Charles Bean Research Centre, a facility designed to expand archival access support and rigorous scholarship and to continue the careful documentation that Charles Bean championed. The Albanese Labor government has ensured the resources are available to complete this redevelopment and secure the memorial's future. This is an investment not just in infrastructure but in education and remembrance. It ensures that the future generations of Australians will continue to learn from and reflect upon the service of those who have worn the nation's uniform.”
“In this way, the memorial does not simply preserve history; it actively informs how history is written and understood. Over time, its scope has expanded to reflect the full breadth of Australian service, from the Boer War and the World Wars to Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, from peacekeeping missions to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It ensures contemporary veterans are recognised with the same dignity afforded to earlier generations. Now, a major redevelopment is underway, scheduled for completion in 2028, to ensure there is sufficient space to properly tell the stories of modern service. Remembrance must evolve as service evolves. The redevelopment also supports broader historical reflection, including recognition of frontier conflict and the organised violence that occurred during colonisation.”
“Each year the memorial is a focal point for school excursions, particularly for year 5 and year 6 students travelling from across Australia. For many young Australians walking through the galleries, standing in the commemorative area or watching the Last Post ceremony, it is their first direct encounter with our nation's military history. It transforms textbook learning into lived understanding. It connects names on a page to real lives, real families and real communities. The memorial also serves as a vital research hub. Tertiary students studying history, international relations and military studies rely on its archives and collections. Letters, diaries, operational records and personal artefacts provide the primary source material that shapes serious studies across the country and worldwide.”
“I thank the member for Gippsland for bringing forward this motion today—an important topic. I also thank the member for Herbert and the member for Solomon for their contributions as well. The Australian War Memorial is a sacred national space where a grieving nation can gather and a place of commemoration for those who returned and for those who did not. From its earliest days, the memorial has stood as a solemn place of international standing, telling the story of Australia's military history and as a vast archive preserving official records, artefacts and deeply personal accounts. Together these functions fulfil its enduring mission to lead remembrance and deepen understanding of Australia's experience of war. That mission is not just for ceremony; it is central to education in this country.”
“That is why the Elizabeth Clinic is providing specialised, compassionate care to women and families during pregnancy and in the postnatal period, as well as for perinatal health, supporting mothers at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Many parents experience anxiety, depression or emotional distress during the perinatal period. Our perinatal mental health centre in Elizabeth provides that support in a welcoming, non-judgemental way. This kind of service is not a luxury; it is essential. I'm extremely proud of the work the Albanese Labor government is doing.”
“We are also making it easier for women to receive directly from pharmacies treatment for uncomplicated UTIs, including trials benefiting 250,000 concession card holders, who can consult a trained pharmacist at no cost. We have expanded PBS access for IVF medicines like Pergoveris pens, increasing the maximum number per script and lowering out-of-pocket costs for women trying to start to grow their families. These reforms matter nationally, but they also matter locally. In the north of Adelaide, in my electorate of Spence, we have seen firsthand what targeted women's health investment looks like. Perinatal health has often gone unspoken about. When a time that can be filled with such joy and celebration turns dark, many struggle to know where to go and what to do.”
“We are building an Australia-wide support system that simply did not exist before. Thirty of the 33 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics are now operational, with 11 new clinics delivered under this government. These clinics are expanding to provide perimenopause and menopause care, recognising that women's health is not siloed; it is lifelong. We are funding Australia's first national clinical guidelines for perimenopause and menopause, ensuring consistent evidence-based care no matter where a woman lives. This year, Australia will see its first national awareness campaign for menopause and perimenopause, giving women information and recognition they have been denied for decades.”
“But women's health is not just about medicines; it's about access, recognition and proper care. That is why from 1 July 2025 Medicare funded menopause health assessments became available. More than 71,000 women have already accessed these dedicated consultations, receiving the time and support they deserve at a critical stage of life. We have introduced new Medicare items and higher rebates for gynaecological care, making longer consultations for more complex issues accessible and more affordable. Around 430,000 additional services have now been delivered for women with endometriosis, PCOS, chronic pelvic pain and other conditions, backed by a $49 million national investment. IUDs and contraceptive implants are now easier and cheaper to access, with larger Medicare payments and more bulk-billing saving women up to $400 a year.”
“In all, 328,000 women have saved more than $27 million on 660,000 scripts. For women managing menopause, the first new menopausal hormone therapies in over 20 years are now listed, and 383,000 women have saved $53 million across 1.6 million scripts. Of the more than one in seven women living with endometriosis—my wife is one of them—over 7,000 women have accessed 30,000 scripts, saving $5.7 million on treatment that previously put enormous financial pressures on families. Women undergoing IVF now have earlier and more affordable access to treatment, with 46,000 women supplied 273,000 scripts that lower the cost of fertility care. Since January this year, PBS medicines cost just $25 and $7.70 for concession card holders. Those are the lowest prices since 2004. That is real cost-of-living relief for Australian women.”
“Women's health in Australia has too often been treated as a niche issue, as if half the population were somehow an afterthought. For too long, women were told their pain was normal, their symptoms were hormonal and their concerns were exaggerated. The Albanese Labor government is changing that. We are backing women's health with action, with reform and with nearly $800 million in real investment through our historic women's health package, and we are already seeing the results. More than 700,000 women have accessed over 2.3 million cheaper PBS prescriptions for contraceptives, menopausal hormone therapies and endometriosis treatments. That includes the first new contraceptive pill listed on the PBS in more than 30 years, alongside two additional contraceptive options.”
“We're building 100,000 new homes just for first home buyers, including 17,000 in South Australia—nearly 7,000 reserved for first homebuyers. This is practical cost-of-living relief and an increase in supply. We've delivered tax cuts, lower student debt, cheaper health care, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief now and energy security for the future, and a fairer path into homeownership. There is more work to do, and we will keep on doing it. Whilst others focus on themselves, we remain focused on everyday Aussies. We're focused on easing pressure, on practical relief and on delivering for every household across the north.”
“We now have the fifth highest battery uptake in South Australia and the ninth highest in the nation. That is the north stepping up. That is households investing in solar and storage to bring down their bills. It delivers real short-term relief through lower quarterly bills and long-term security through cleaner and more reliable energy. On housing, we are making it easier for Australians to buy their first home. First home buyers can purchase with just a five per cent deposit. If you buy a house in the north, that means that, on average, you will only need a $32,500 deposit to get your foot in the door. That cuts years off the time it takes to save in growing areas like Munno Para, Playford or Gawler. And they won't pay a single dollar in mortgage insurance.”
“More than 2½ million Australians have received free urgent care. The Elizabeth Medicare urgent care centre is doing outstanding work for the northern suburbs—open seven days, extended hours, fully bulk-billed, no appointment needed. We've also committed $1.1 billion to strengthening mental health services across the country, including new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres offering free walk-in care, because mental health support must be accessible, local and free. We recognise energy prices are too high. Families across the north know it every time the bill arrives. The people of Spence also understand how important renewable energy is to Australia's future. That's why our community has embraced the Cheaper Home Batteries Program.”
“More than 3,300 GP practices nationally are now fully bulk-billing. In the north, 21 Medicare centres are delivering that support, and by 2030 nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed, because we're dedicated to expanding financially accessible services for all Australians. We've delivered the largest medicines price reduction in the 75-year history of the PBS. No Australian pays more than $25 for a PBS script—concession card holders no more than $7.70. Australians have saved $2 billion at the pharmacy counter, and we've added or expanded those savings to more than 400 medicines on the PBS. For pensioners in Gawler, families in Elizabeth, veterans across the north, that's real relief. Our Medicare urgent clinics are another game changer. We promised 50; we delivered 124, with more to come.”
“We've cut 20 per cent off HELP and student loan balances, wiping an average of $5,500 dollars from individual debts. That's three million Australians nationally carrying a lighter burden. In Spence alone, 19,243 current and former students benefit. That's young apprentices; Uni Hub Playford students; and nurses, teachers and tradies starting their careers in the north. We've changed the repayment system as well. If you're earning $70,000 a year, your annual repayment drops by around $1,300. That's $1,300 staying in your pocket for groceries, fuel, school costs or whatever you choose. We've made the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago, because, in Spence, bulk-billing matters. We've expanded the bulk-billing incentive and boosted payments to GP clinics that bulk-bill every patient.”
“Right now, families across Elizabeth, Salisbury, Gawler and Munno Para are feeling the pinch. Groceries cost more. Power bills bite harder. Mortgage repayments stretch further than they used to. At a time like this, Australians expect their government to focus on them, not on internal squabbles. The Albanese Labor government is focused on easing cost-of-living pressures. Whilst those opposite fight each other, we are fighting for working people in communities like Spence. We're delivering more tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer. That means workers in Edinburgh, tradies on job sites in Playford and small business employees in Gawler keep more of what they earn. Combined with stronger wage growth and record job creation, that's real support in the weekly household budget. We've taken decisive action on student debt.”
“My question is to the Minister for Education. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to cut student debt and make university more accessible for students in the outer suburbs and regions? Why is it important to be united in delivering these changes? What are the risks of alternative approaches?”
“He was also recognised for his extraordinary volunteer work training guide dogs, dedicating countless hours to helping others gain independence and confidence. On council, Paul was deeply involved in committee work, contributing to the Gawler River Floodplain Management Authority, the Gawler & District College governing body and the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority, ensuring local voices were heard in important decisions. Paul understood that local government is about everyday impact, everyday facilities, local services and community safety. He treated that responsibility with care. As the founder of the Gawler Makers Market, his ability to bring people together will never be lost within our community. On behalf of the parliament and the people of Gawler, I extend heartfelt condolences to Paul's family and friends.”
“Today I rise to acknowledge the passing of Councillor Paul Koch and to honour a life defined by steadfast service to the people of Gawler. For more than 15 years as an elected member, Paul gave his energy, his voice and his heart to local government, never wavering in his commitment to the community he loved. Even during illness, he remained active and engaged, continuing to contribute meaningfully to council and to public life, determined to see through the work he had begun. Paul was well known across Gawler for his passionate environmental focus, advocating for sustainable practices and thoughtful planning that would protect the natural beauty of the region for generations to come.”
“On behalf of this chamber, I extend our deepest condolences to Bruce's family, friends and loved ones and thank them for sharing him with our community for so many years. His legacy lives on in the institutions he strengthened, the community he served and the example he set for future generations. May you rest in peace.”
“His leadership extended to the profession more broadly, serving as president of the South Australian division of the Australian Veterinary Association in 1961 and later as national president in 1966. That same dedication to service carried through every chapter of his life. In recognition of his extraordinary contribution, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996, a fitting acknowledgement of decades spent giving back. While his public achievements were significant, those who knew him best will remember the man behind the titles, including his simple joys like the genuine love of a good vanilla ice cream with caramel topping, his only vice. Above all else, Bruce Eastick will be remembered as a great man of his community, someone who worked tirelessly for the good of the north.”