Zaneta Mascarenhas
Swan · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The additional thing that I think is useful for us to think about—and I'll put my engineering hat on—is that in the mining industry one of the things that we do intentionally is something called preventive maintenance.”
“For my cousin, who had emergency heart surgery—basically, when they got to the moment of, 'You have a leaky heart valve; we need to perform emergency surgery on you'—the question was: 'How much will this cost? And can you afford it?' So I'm incredibly grateful for the Australian Medicare system.”
“The committee concluded its examination of all legislative instruments within the disallowance timeframe. While the committee observed an improvement of the timeliness of ministerial responses to requests for information, the fast paced parliamentary legislative program prevented the committee from providing timely scrutiny on some occasi…”
“This bill sets out clear guidelines to maintain the quality of these programs, and it makes sure they are run properly, with the same safeguards that protect other dollars spent across Medicare.”
“I remember another one of my friends, who was a lawyer from Melbourne travelling in the US, and he talked about going out hiking. He basically got this massive, deep wound in his leg and he's like, 'I'm not going to see a doctor because it's going to cost me a lot,' so he continued to make sure that he kept it sterile.”
“That looks like more people seeing a doctor instead of putting it off. The lingering cough that you keep meaning to get checked out, the blemish on your arm that doesn't look quite right or the stubbed toe that turns out to be properly broken—that is what these incentive programs are really for.”
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“I think it's incredibly important that we continue to ensure that we look after this system, because it is something that actually helps people with the quality of their life, but it also means that we can have our family, friends and loved ones in a way that is so much more present. I anticipate that the life expectancy of Australians probably is a bit longer than other countries, and I think a part of that relates to not just our blue skies and our beautiful beaches and fresh air. I think that a part of it also relates to our healthcare system. It's a healthcare system that we should be very proud of, and I think that this bill continues to strengthen it. I commend the bill to the House.”
“The additional thing that I think is useful for us to think about—and I'll put my engineering hat on—is that in the mining industry one of the things that we do intentionally is something called preventive maintenance. We do preventive maintenance because we want to make sure that expensive equipment doesn't break down, because when it breaks down, it costs a lot of money per hour, per minute if it's down. That's what the big companies do, and the thing that I want Australians to make sure that they do is preventive health, because we know that, when we invest in preventive health, it means that we can actually catch those little things initially before they become too big. I see that the general-practice system that we have with our Medicare system and our bulk-billing clinics ensures that we can actually invest in this.”
“I remember a time doorknocking in my electorate where I was having a conversation with a family, and they were talking about how disappointed they were in the bulk-billing rates. They were like: 'We recognise that bulk-billing exists. I've not seen a bulk billing doctor for years.' He felt like he could not trust the government to look after this. The thing that I would say about our government is that what we want to do time and time again is make sure that we listen deeply to our communities and ensure that we understand what they want. We saw the numbers, but we also saw the effects in our community, and we wanted to make sure that we put the investment where it was needed.”
“These are the things that sometimes we don't recognise are really powerful in the Australian healthcare system. We need to make sure that we continue to strengthen it, and we need to make sure that we continue to build it. What I would say is that Australians made a choice on whether we wanted this to be universal. The thing that I see time and time again is that the Australian Labor government wants to do things that last for generations and makes this country so much better compared to any other country in the world. It's interesting because we have so many things to be grateful for, whether that relates to minimum wage, whether that relates to the superannuation guarantee, whether that relates to paid parental leave or, of course, whether it relates to universal Medicare.”
“I remember another one of my friends, who was a lawyer from Melbourne travelling in the US, and he talked about going out hiking. He basically got this massive, deep wound in his leg and he's like, 'I'm not going to see a doctor because it's going to cost me a lot,' so he continued to make sure that he kept it sterile. He let that heal very slowly over a two-month process. There's another story that I remember, which is one of my friends, who's a female engineer. She was working for a big oil and gas company and had a miscarriage when she was overseas. For her, having a miscarriage while she was overseas was like, 'I just don't know if I want to see a health expert, because I don't know how much this will cost,' and we know that, when you have a miscarriage, having medical help is really important.”
“It reminds me of when the Prime Minister talked about how Kerry Stokes and his mother both got treated at the same hospital. I think it's extraordinary that that's the healthcare system we have. It's not a healthcare system that is only for some. I'm proud to be part of a government that's protecting it, and we should make sure we never take it for granted, because that's not how every country does things. In fact, I remember having a conversation at dinner in New York and speaking to some of my cousins over there, and one of their friends said, 'Socialist medicine—that sounds gross!' But think about it this way: universal medicine—does that sound sensible? The way that you phrase things is interesting. This is where I think it's important to recognise our system.”
“The minister for health said that the Labor government has stopped the freefall in bulk-billing rates, and in my community we have done more to stop the slide; we have begun to reverse it. For households in Belmont and Rivervale, that's the difference between a GP visit that costs nothing and one that makes you stop and think about whether or not you're going to do it. This bill also renames the Health Insurance Act as the Medicare Act. Since Medicare was introduced by the Hawke government more than 40 years ago, it has shaped the lives of millions of Australians. We carry the green-and-gold card in our wallets, and we hand it over to the doctor at the hospital and at the pharmacy. It's one of the few things in this country that belongs to all of us, no matter where we are or what we earn.”
“This bill sets out clear guidelines to maintain the quality of these programs, and it makes sure they are run properly, with the same safeguards that protect other dollars spent across Medicare. It also gives certainty about how the program works and how decisions affecting them are made, and it gives doctors and practices who rely on them the confidence that their future is secure. In my own community, the bulk-billing incentive program is working. In 2023, the bulk-billing rate in my electorate was 67 per cent. By March this year it had risen to 74.9 per cent. The number of practices bulk-billing every patient has more than doubled. That number was nine when the coalition left office; today it is 22. That's 13 more practices in my electorate where a family can see a doctor and walk out without paying a cent.”
“The General Practice Aged Care Incentive helps GPs keep looking after patients once they move into residential aged care so older Australians won't lose the doctor who knows them—and, interestingly, I now have my old man in aged care. The Workforce Incentive Program helps practices bring nurses, midwives, allied health workers and doctors into rural and remote communities that have always found it hardest to attract them. In the country, one GP can be the only doctor for hundreds of kilometres, covering the clinic, the emergencies and the after-hours calls. This program helps keep a doctor there and helps bring the next one in. These are programs that sustain care in place. It is the hardest to deliver.”
“For my cousin, who had emergency heart surgery—basically, when they got to the moment of, 'You have a leaky heart valve; we need to perform emergency surgery on you'—the question was: 'How much will this cost? And can you afford it?' So I'm incredibly grateful for the Australian Medicare system. Universal health care is a phenomenal thing, and this bill is quite incredible. So, back to the mainstream speech: Aside from bulk-billing, this bill also addresses other primary care incentive programs that make Australia's healthcare system robust and reliable. Together they are worth more than $1.4 billion of this government's investment in primary care every year. The Practice Incentive Program rewards practices for the quality of their care, for opening their doors after hours and for teaching the next generation of doctors.”
“Good luck for your surgery.' So that was the beginning of a GP appointment that turned out to be this very large thing. Dad had emergency brain surgery; he lived through the surgery, but then he had to learn to walk again, so he ended up being in hospital for six months. What's fascinating is that the beginning of that story was a GP appointment. The thing I find particularly extraordinary about Australia is: who knows what would have happened to my dad if that GP appointment didn't happen? These are S liding D oor s moments. My dad migrated from Kenya, but he had six brothers and sisters, and all his brothers and sisters migrated to California.”
“You need to go to Royal Perth Hospital.' Then Dad was at Royal Perth Hospital, and then it was this question of Dad needing this emergency brain surgery. The surgeon called and told me what was happening. I live very close to Royal Perth Hospital—it's a 15-minute drive—and I'm thinking that I'd love to say good luck to my dad, but he was going in so quickly, and the surgeon wasn't with my dad. I said to the surgeon, 'What's the probability that he'll survive this surgery?' He said, 'It's a 90 per cent probability, but there's a 10 per cent probability that he won't live.' So I ask: 'Could I just wish my dad good luck? Can I do that?' So the surgeon gave me his number. I got to call 15 minutes later and I got to say to Dad: 'Hey, Dad.”
“I'll keep you updated.' Interestingly, sometimes you go to the GP, and they say, 'You should get this scan in the next fortnight,' but this GP said, 'You need to go straight away.' The reason why my mum made my dad go to the GP was that my mum was annoyed by the way that my dad was walking. He was walking with a limp and wasn't walking in a straight manner. So they did the MRI scan, and it turned out that my dad had bleeding on two different parts of his brain. Then, from the MRI, what ended up happening is they said, 'You need to go to the emergency department straight away.' Dad initially went to Fiona Stanley Hospital, and they said: 'We don't do emergency brain surgery at this hospital.”
“When it costs $80 out of pocket, you wait, and sometimes, while waiting, a small problem becomes a big one. The reassurance of a bulk-billing practice down the road shifts you from the mindset of 'she'll be right' to 'what's the harm in checking'. This shift can sometimes be lifesaving. I'm sure that there are many people within this House that have had lived experience of a family member visiting the GP because of a small matter that ended up being quite a big matter. For me, there's a particular story that I'd like to share with you, which relates to a phone call I got from my mum when my daughter was three weeks old. My mum said: 'We just went to the GP, and he said that we need to go get an MRI scan for Dad straight away.”
“That looks like more people seeing a doctor instead of putting it off. The lingering cough that you keep meaning to get checked out, the blemish on your arm that doesn't look quite right or the stubbed toe that turns out to be properly broken—that is what these incentive programs are really for. It's about free and affordable care that doesn't have you second-guessing whether it's worth a visit or not. My electorate of Swan is one of the most diverse communities in Western Australia, and bulk-billing matters right across it. It matters to the pensioners in Como, to young families in Cannington and to people working long hours and shiftwork in Belmont and Rivervale. For a lot of them, whether the doctor bulk-bills is what decides if they go at all. When it costs nothing, you go when you need to go.”
“Can a parent take a sick child to the doctor without first visiting their bank balance? No-one should have to think twice about seeing a GP when they are sick or injured because of what it might cost and no-one should have to wait days for an appointment because the nearest bulk-billing clinic is booked out for a week. The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 gives primary care group programs like the bulk-billing practice incentive a consistent statutory basis to secure its longevity and sustain the progress that this Labor government is already delivering. That is real progress. Since 2025, the national bulk-billing rate has climbed to over 81 per cent, and about 97 per cent of Australians now live within a 20-minute drive of a bulk-billing practice.”
“The right to privacy continued to be the most frequently engaged right on which the committee commented. Other frequently engaged rights included the right to equality, the right to nondiscrimination and the rights of a person with disability and children. In 2025, the committee tabled an inquiry into antisemitism at Australian universities, making 10 detailed recommendations—including that universities review complaints procedure and increase investment in research into antisemitism. I encourage all members to consider the committee's report closely. With these comments, I commend the committee's Human rights scrutiny report: Report 8 of 2026 and the annual report of 2025 to the House.”
“The committee concluded its examination of all legislative instruments within the disallowance timeframe. While the committee observed an improvement of the timeliness of ministerial responses to requests for information, the fast paced parliamentary legislative program prevented the committee from providing timely scrutiny on some occasions. In 2025, 25 bills, which passed before the committee could comment on them, were introduced and passed within eight sitting days. The committee considers that its work in scrutinising legislation for compatibility with human rights is undermined when legislation is passed before the human rights assessment is made available to all parliamentarians. In 2025, the committee commented on a wide range of legislation—including that related to aged care, migration and counterterrorism.”
“In addition, the committee considers that the proposed immunity for controlled intelligence operations may preclude access to effective remedies if such operations were impermissibly limited by a person's human rights. I also tabled the committee's Annual report 2025 . This report details the work of the committee for the 2025 calendar year. In 2025, the committee tabled eight reports, examined 171 bills and around 1,500 legislative instruments. The committee substantially commented on 22 per cent of bills and 30 per cent of legislative instruments. During the report period, the committee concluded its consideration on the vast majority of bills prior to their passage. The human rights analysis was available to inform members of parliament prior to the passage of 85 per cent of the bills.”
“This bill seeks to enhance the powers of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to obtain, analyse and communicate intelligence information relating to serious organised crime. The measures in this bill would engage and limit numerous rights, including children's rights, criminal process rights and the rights to an effective remedy, fair trial, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedoms of expression, privacy and work. The committee sought further information to assess the human rights compatibility of the bill. The minister provided information regarding the operation and consequences of the powers, including safeguards with respect to the affected rights. However, the committee retains its concerns with the respect of proportionality of each measure.”
“This instrument expands the circumstances in which a person may be prevented from leaving Australia and the circumstances where personal information may be disclosed. The committee notes that these measures engage and limit the rights to freedom of movement and privacy and may interfere with a person's family life, which engages and limits the right to protection of the family. The committee has previously raised human rights concerns in relation to the passport refusal and cancellation framework, which the statement of compatibility fails to address. The committee therefore considers further information is required and has sought that minister's advice. In addition, the Committee has concluded its consideration of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Bill 2026.”
“Among other things, this bill would expand the scope of the power of the Chief Executive, Officer of Medicare to require a person to produce documents and authorise the use and disclosure of personal information in relation to incentive payment programs. These measures would engage and limit the right to privacy. The committee notes that the extent of the interference with the right to privacy may be significant due to the sensitivity of information and the identified safeguards may have limited practical value. The committee has recommended that the government undertake a foundational review of the human rights compatibility of the Health Insurance Act 1973. The committee also commented on the Australian Passport Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Determination 2026.”
“() (): On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the following reports: Human r ights s crutiny r eport 8 of 2026 and Annual r eport 2025. Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e). by leave—I am pleased to table the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human r ights s crutiny r eport 8 of 2026 and Annual r eport 2025 . In Re port 8 of 2026 , the committee considered nine new bills and 143 new legislative instruments. It has commented on two bills and five legislative instruments and concluded its examination of one bill. In this report, the committee commented on the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026.”
“We want to see men and women share these care responsibilities more effectively because this is one of the things that will continue to break down the gender gaps that we see in our society, and this is a government that is genuinely committed to achieving equality for women.”
“I thank the modern-day dads who are actively involved in their children's lives. In 2025, 33 per cent of new paid parental leave recipients were men. Isn't that amazing? It's interesting; when I had my first child, I ended up having an emergency caesarean, and I was very lucky that my husband had the ability to take time off work and support me at home. I have to say that my husband is a very hands-on father—and I'm sure that there are a few dads that have had baby spew on their shoulders from burping their children. But we want to see more dads helping to raise their children. That's something that will help women and also help children.”
“Properly valuing care work and removing structural barriers for women to participate in the labour force are the key to closing the gender pay gap and fostering a more productive economy. From 1 July, the Paid Parental Leave scheme will expand to six months of leave for parents. Beyond the expansion, this government is also investing in sharing care arrangements to send the message that caring for children should not be a burden solely resting on the shoulders of women. We are seeing this positive shift in society, and I have to say that modern dads—and there are many in the House and in this chamber right now—are being way more hands on with their children, and them having that really important time to bond with their babies in the early stages sets their children up for life.”
“Through all of this, she's holding down a job and raising her children in a loving environment but without the supports that it requires. She stated that she knows that her story is not unique and highlighted that this form of abuse is not siloed; it interacts with your ability to manage a household, a career and live a normal life. This is financial abuse. It is deliberate, it is calculated and it is harming children. I personally want to thank my constituent for taking the time to share her story so that these systemic issues can be highlighted so we can continue to work on fixing the root causes. We need to keep paying attention and keep improving on our systems, and we need to keep on asking whether the protections we've built are reaching the women and children who need them most.”
“These are the most significant changes to the child support system in nearly 20 years. These reforms are a significant step, but we know that the work does not stop here. I want to share a story about a constituent of mine in Swan. She's a mother of two. She cares for them for more than 300 days a year. Her former partner deliberately reduced his working hours to minimise his child support payments. He claims the minimum threshold of overnight stays and picks up the children late and drops them off early, not actually caring for them during the daytime hours, when most of the care is required and when most of the costs occur. He doesn't pay school fees, he doesn't pay for extracurricular activities, and he continues to use the court system to intimidate and coerce. He hacked into her social media accounts.”
“The average debt owed per person is nearly $9,000. This is money that should be spent on groceries, school fees, uniforms; it's money that's supposed to be spent to help raise a child in a supported and safe environment. The thing that I will say is that parents who don't pay their fair share of child support are simply scumbags. It is unacceptable. But we have introduced reforms, and these reforms will make it easier for parents to move from private collection to agency collection, where there will be increased protections. This will give Services Australia the power to stop vexatious and harassing behaviour. They will crack down on those who minimise income to reduce what they owe. It will strengthen protections for the over 470,000 women and one million children receiving child support.”
“That's what we saw in the child support system. Specifically, it was former partners weaponising the child support system to harass and control, income being deliberately hidden to reduce payments owed to children, and coerced directorships leaving women liable for debts that they never incurred. It was women who had left violent relationships finding that the abuse continued through paperwork, through courts and through systems that they believed would protect them. The Albanese government is investing $182 million to strengthen the child support system to ensure that we stop seeing it being weaponised against children. This is thanks to the great work of the Minister for Social Services. Right now, there is $2 billion in outstanding child support debt in the country. Women make up 83 per cent of recipients.”
“The Women's Budget Statement exists to make us talk about the hard issues—the ones that get quietly filed away, the ones that do not trend but do devastate. I'm proud to be a part of a government that takes that seriously, because financial abuse is not a niche issue and it does not discriminate. I served on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services inquiry that looked into financial abuse. The thing that was fascinating about this inquiry is that we went in knowing that financial systems are weaponised to abuse people, particularly women, and what I was anticipating was looking at the systems associated with banks, credit lenders and superannuation, but what I did not recognise is how government systems can be used and weaponised to hurt the people that they are meant to protect.”
“When the Liberal government scrapped it, these issues took a back seat. Today, for the first time in our history, 56 per cent of the Labor caucus are women. That does not happen overnight. It is the result of hard, continued advocacy to have different voices at the table to challenge norms and to ensure that the people making decisions reflect the lives of the people those decisions affect. This year, one of the issues the Women's Budget Statement brings into focus is financial abuse, particularly through the child support system. This did not make the front page the day after the budget. It's not a salacious story and it does not lend itself to a simple headline. But that is the exact point.”
“These issues do not sort themselves by background or identity. They reach women from every community and every culture. We have historically seen these issues ignored and pushed to the side or treated as too complicated to fix. And you know what? The Women's Budget Statement exists to change that. It's an accountability mechanism that encourages us to consider how a policy will affect women's lives, because budget decisions are not gender neutral. On paper, a policy can appear effective. But this mechanism pushes us to dig deeper and look for the silences in our society and the omissions within our policy that have real and lasting consequences. Bringing diverse perspectives to the table to make more effective policy is not a new idea. The Hawke Labor government introduced the Women's Budget Statement in 1984.”
“I represent one of the most diverse communities in Western Australia. There are parts that have river views of the Swan, and then there are houses that look over industrial complexes. There are people whose grandparents have lived there since the early 1900s, and people who have come to live recently in Western Australia. When I hear stories from women in my community about the issues that affect their safety, their health and their financial security, what's fascinating is that it actually doesn't matter where they came from, what school they went to, whether they have children or not or what tax bracket they're in. Violence against women does not discriminate. There's discrimination at work. There continue to be unpaid care responsibilities. We've also seen the weaponisation of child support systems.”
“Given it's significant, it's important that the parliament carefully considers both the policy objectives of these measures and their implications for human rights. I encourage all members to consider the committee's report closely. With these comments, I commend the committee's scrutiny report 7 of 2026 to the House.”
“In general, the explanatory materials do not clearly identify the objective of each of the measures in the bill, making it difficult for the committee to assess the legitimacy for the purpose of international human rights law. The committee also has questions about whether the measures would be effective to achieve the objectives and whether the measures represent a proportionate limitation on human rights. The committee is therefore seeking further information from ministers to assess the compatibility of the measures in the bills with human rights. I hope the NDIS is and will remain the government's largest social program outside the age pension and the centrepiece of a comprehensive suite of support for people with disability.”
“This bill seeks to make several significant amendments to the operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, broadly aimed at managing the financial stability of the scheme. The bill aims to secure the future of the NDIS through measures to tackle fraud, improve compliance, slow rapid cost increases and make eligibility requirements clearer, and deliver quality services and support to participants. The committee has commented on six measures that appear to most directly engage and limit human rights. These measures are: The combined impact of these measures may affect the rights of people with disability and the rights of the child, including their right to an adequate standard of living, equality and nondiscrimination, health, privacy and social security.”
“On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, I present the committee's report entitled Human rights scrutiny report : r eport 7 of 2026 . Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e). by leave—I am pleased to present report 7 of 2026 of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, which was tabled out of sitting on 12 June 2026. In this report, the committee considers one new bill and 17 new legislative instruments. It has commented on three pieces of legislation. The focus of this report is the committee's consideration of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.”
“While in office, her inquest work included the long-term missing persons project, which dealt with historical disappearances across WA. Every one of these Western Australians has spent a lifetime giving to others. On behalf of the people of Swan, I congratulate them on this honour and thank them for all the work they've done for our community.”
“Elspeth has a longstanding legacy of continued pro bono work and providing free legal assistance to help the disadvantaged in our society. There's Dr Brian Moon OAM, for service to tertiary education. Brian is a teacher, an author and a researcher in the field of literacy studies and teaches at Edith Cowan University in the School of Education. We need teachers for tomorrow. There is also Dr Sean Stevens OAM, for service to general practice medicine. Sean has practised as a GP for over 25 years and served as the chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs during the COVID pandemic. Thank you for your service. There's Ms Evelyn Vicker OAM, for service to the law. Evelyn was the former WA deputy state coroner.”
“There's Professor Emeritus Trevor Redgrave AM, for significant service to physiology and molecular biology research at the University of Western Australia. Trevor's work has helped establish how the body processes fats after a meal and how the liver clears these particles. There's Mr James Walker AM, for significant service to the mining sector, to historical preservation organisations and to the community. There's Ms Elizabeth Woods AM, for significant service to the law, to people with disability and to basketball administration. Elizabeth is the longest serving female judicial officer and was the first resident magistrate of Kalgoorlie, which is my birth town. There's Ms Elspeth Hensler OAM, for service to the law.”
“The Order of Australia is one of the highest recognitions of service in this nation, and it's one of the most honourable ways we can recognise everyday people and their contributions that have made a lasting mark on this nation and the people around them. It does not come from a government or a boardroom. It comes from the community. Any one of us can put a name forward, and any one of us could be put forward. These awards are about much more than the letters added after someone's name. They're about neighbours and colleagues taking the time to say that someone's work matters and that it deserves national recognition. Today I'd like to recognise the people in my electorate of Swan who have received that honour.”
“You can't stop migration and then stop families from having children. I suspect that this is going to be a policy that she does a backflip on. We saw that when the coalition wanted to stop public servants working from home. Like that, this is a really bad idea. Paid parental leave is a way that we can help support families. The cost of living is real. Having a family costs time. And—you know what?—we want families to spend time with their babies. They are delightful.”
“What women want—in 2022, we saw a record number of women elected to the federal parliament. What people wanted to see were governments that respond to our whole population, including women. So, in 2025, we got to see 50 per cent women in the cabinet. And what have we delivered? We didn't just deliver a record to our federal parliament; we're changing our community. We are changing our society. We have cheaper child care. We have introduced the three-day childcare guarantee. We are closing the pay gap. And, of course, we have been increasing paid parental leave—26 weeks is coming soon, and we're going to pay superannuation on that. What did we hear in the last week, including on Sunrise today? Senator Hanson, from One Nation, wants to get rid of paid parental leave. It's absolutely outrageous. This is not what women want.”
“Other people followed, like me and Councillor Sky Croeser and also other parents like Julie. We're seeing people continue to want to do active transport. As we build the infrastructure, we will see more parents, more families, more commuters, more workers and more children do active transport. I commend this motion.”
“This is going to be something that really makes a huge difference. Basically, I see it as a rail-to-river pathway, and it makes tangible improvements to my local community, making it easier for kids to get to school. It's interesting, because cars do many short trips that could be partially replaced by active transport, whether that be walking, riding or scooting. This is good for the environment and good for your health, but it's also good for your hip pocket. It's also great for road congestion, which is why we saw, in the first round, 81 projects supported across the country. It's interesting, because in my community I've seen community leaders like David Linder, Jane Kircher-Linder, Lana Snook, Tony Cronk, David and Di Crabb, who started riding cargo bikes, and that started to become more mainstream in our community.”
“I got off my bike and I was a bit rude to him because I was a bit shaken up. I spoke to another dad and I was kind of like, 'I just got abused on the street for riding on the road.' That didn't stop me from riding. What I realised is that people want safer, easier streets to actually be able to do active transport. That's fundamentally what this fund is about. We want to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to be connected to their community and to be safe as well. In my community of Swan, the Active Transport Fund is in the process of delivering a shared-use pathway from the Cannington train station all the way to the Canning River. This will improve active transport for two local schools, Queens Park Primary School and Cannington Community College, and the Cannington Leisureplex.”
“The other thing that I didn't expect—people expect you to have baby brain when you come back from maternity leave, but when you start with a really great workout in the morning, riding along the Derbarl Yerrigan, the great Swan River, it's a really great way to start the work day. One particular afternoon, I was going to pick up my son, and on Albany Highway there was a single lane of traffic and cars parked to the side. As a cyclist, you don't ride right next to the car doors, because a car door can open at any stage; you ride in the middle of the road. I was about to turn right, and there was this big four-wheel drive behind me, honking at me despite the fact that I had a child seat on the back of my bike and continuing to honk at me as we turned into the car park of my childcare centre.”
“I used to work on St Georges Terrace in Perth for a long period of time, and I always used to watch from the bus all of these people riding their bikes to the city. I wanted to be one of those people, but I never prioritised that. The thing that started me wanting to actually become a cyclist was when I became a mother. I had a one-year-old child and I was returning from maternity leave, and the quickest way for me to get to work and do childcare drop-off was to ride my bike, so that's what I did. What was wonderful about riding my bike to day care and work is you get to see your community in high resolution. I get to chat with my son and spend this wonderful time talking about the world around us. I get to see my neighbourhood in high resolution.”
“Walking the pavement, riding a bike with the wind in your hair, hearing your breath puff because your heart's pumping—that is what active transport is about. Our bodies were designed to move—walking, cycling, jogging, scooting—so that's what we should do. Last year we introduced something called the Active Transport Fund because we want to see more people moving. This was initially a $100 million fund, but at this federal budget we delivered an extra $500 million to this fund to deliver $50 million each year over a 10-year period. This is about building stronger, safer, more connected communities to make it easier and cheaper for people to get around. I'll start by sharing a story.”