Cameron Caldwell
Fadden · Liberal National Party · Australia
“I rise today with a heavy heart, because the scourge of domestic and family violence is no longer just a headline in the media for our local community. This week it has been happening in our own backyard. In Biggera Waters, 23-year-old Mallorie Jane Roberts, a young mum with a little son, was allegedly shot and killed in her own home.”
“I also want to acknowledge the courage of neighbour Sharon Burgess, who did what every decent Australian hopes they would. She called triple zero and desperately tried to save Mallorie's life until paramedics arrived. Sadly, Mallory could not be saved. Then, in Hope Island just a couple of nights ago, another horror unfolded.”
“To all of us in this place: we must be clear; domestic and family violence must be called out wherever it occurs. Backed by our brave police, frontline services, neighbours, families and a community that refuses to look away, we must work together to end domestic and family violence.”
“My question is to the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors. In February 2026, a constituent of mine, Mr Austin, aged 98, had his aged-care application reviewed by Labor's AI tool. Despite his age and having suffered a life-threatening fall, his application was assessed as 'low priority'.”
“I second the amendment. I support the Manager of Opposition Business. This is a worthwhile amendment to the motion and one that respects the longstanding traditions held in relation to the conduct of this committee.”
“The housing minister has talked about a 10 to 20 per cent 'correction', and that should concern every Australian with a mortgage. That's not a housing plan; that's an admission that this government has lost control. Sadly, the great Australian dream has turned into a nightmare under this Labor government.”
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“It is absolutely unachievable. The last point I want to make—this is a little game here for the member for Calwell; he can play if he likes. How do you spell 'runaway construction costs'? CFMEU. No, I asked to spell, Member for Calwell––CFMEU. If there were ever a single reason why costs of construction have blown out, it's them, and we've now got report after report confirming those blowouts.”
“Every mortgage holder in Australia, because of higher-than-expected inflation and higher-than-necessary inflation, is seeing higher interest rates. That means thousands and thousands of dollars more for each and every Australian who's just trying to pay a mortgage. The really scary thing is that recent real estate data would suggest that homeownership is now less affordable than it's ever been through most of our capital cities. The minister continues to spruik the 1.2 million home build that will be delivered, but what we see is absolute failure. We've seen that they've fallen 80,000 homes short of their target just over the first year and a bit. Every quarter that goes by, this carrot that they're holding out for all Australians—that there'll be homes there for them—is being dangled further and further away.”
“We know the minister's track record, but Treasurer Chalmers, of course, has something special going on today; it's his birthday. The member for Calwell will well know what Treasurer Chalmers would like for his birthday––higher taxes. What we will see for the Treasurer's birthday, no doubt, is that at some point all of these discussions, this banter and the speculation about taxes on housing will probably come to fruition in order to celebrate the great Treasurer. But we all know that higher taxes will equal fewer houses. That's why this combination of Minister O'Neil and the Treasurer is such a dangerous combination. Their track record so far is that renters are struggling because rents have gone up 22 per cent under this Labor government.”
“We know that this minister was hopeless in Home Affairs in the last term of this government and now we see she is hopeless with homes. Today we've got the new backbenchers here––which is great––sent in to do her bidding on all of this, which is really quite catastrophic for Australians. For example, the motion says that the housing crisis has been 40 years in the making, when what we know to be true is that, actually, it's only been four years under this Labor government. It's time for this Labor government to front up to the Australian people and be honest about how they're tracking. They're actually failing each and every Australian. What we've got today is their entire housing wisdom on display. Minister O'Neil and Treasurer Chalmers are the two people who the Prime Minister has decided are going to solve this issue.”
“This is an important motion because it seeks to effectively give the government a pat on the back for housing, when in actual fact we know that they're failing quite broadly on housing. What we do know for sure is that the minister has absolutely no solutions to this problem. She continues to talk about this aspirational plan that they have to deliver 1.2 million homes. She continues to talk about the $45 billion spend, but in reality, out there, every day Australians are finding it harder and harder to buy a home. They are finding it harder and harder to keep a roof over their heads because their mortgages are so high and their rent has escalated so dramatically. The coalition believes that we must restore homeownership as the centrepiece of the Australian dream. Under Labor, the great Australian dream is fast turning into a nightmare.”
“The obligation for this Labor government when it landed in office in 2022 was to soften the blow—to soften the landing after COVID. But what they've done has caused a crash. Unfortunately what we're seeing is families all over the Gold Coast in suburbs like Ormeau, Arundel and Labrador struggling. Mortgage repayments are now $1,800 per month higher than they were when the coalition left office in 2022. Sadly, we must return to government in order to make sure that we restore the Australian way of life. You deserve so much better.”
“Today I want to deliver a message to all Australians: you deserve better from this government. I say that because I know that in suburbs in my electorate, like Parkwood, Pimpama or Pacific Pines, you're struggling under the burden of this cost-of-living crisis that has been thrust upon you by this Albanese Labor government. We know that the Reserve Bank thinks that you're doing it tough too, under circumstances that are entirely at the feet of this Labor government. Last week, the CPI numbers that came out from the ABS went back up to 3.8 per cent. It left the Reserve Bank with virtually no choice but to raise interest rates, so every Australian with a mortgage has now seen the RBA set the cash rate at 3.85 per cent.”
“The objective must be simple: earlier help, clearer pathways and better outcomes for children and their families. We will support what is sensible, strengthen what is missing and hold the government to account until the detail matches the promise. The future of our children deserves that.”
“The future steps that this government takes are really important. They must stop running this sector by announcement. They must publish the detail that families need in order to plan their lives and consult properly with parents, clinicians, allied health professionals, educators and disability advocates. They must provide clear transition pathways and communication so that families are not left anxious and confused. And we must ensure that participation in Thriving Kids never blocks access to the NDIS when needs change. The government really needs to finalise, as a matter of urgency, an agreement with the states and territories on the design, funding, roles and responsibilities and an implementation timeline for Thriving Kids to provide certainty to families and providers.”
“The report recommends dedicated resourcing to ensure robust data accuracy, transparency, interoperability and consideration of Indigenous data sovereignty principles. It also recommends a rapid review after 24 months of operation, with the review to be reported back to the House, which is appropriate. Coalition members support these accountability measures because families deserve proof that outcomes are improving and that they're not just slogans. We will work constructively on reforms that are clinically informed and financially responsible. We will support sensible measures to address the NDIS growth trajectory while keeping the scheme true to its purpose. We will fight to ensure that no-one falls between the cracks. And we will not support changes if alternative supports are not genuinely available.”
“It also records concerns about bullying and discrimination, and that for some children the school environment can be quite difficult. If the government intends schools to play a larger role, it must fund capability, workforce and safeguards and not just pass the problem to our teachers. The report identifies workforce shortages, limited outreach and telehealth constraints as a significant problem for regional and remote areas. It also notes families can face hours of travel, and telehealth is not always suitable for children with autism. We will hold the government to account to ensure service access is not determined by postcode. We support practical service models for thin markets, including commissioned approaches and hub-and-spoke options, where evidence supports them.”
“The transition risk is real, and the families that we heard give evidence are warning this parliament about that. The report records widespread concern about the transition, including the risks of exclusion and loss of supports, and the need for clear rollout timelines and transparent communication. Stakeholders have called for clear pathways for children who will need ongoing support, particularly around the age nine transition point. We will keep pressing the government on one test: will any child be worse off during transition? And another warning: schools are not going to be a magic solution, and the report warns against such wishful thinking. It records serious concerns about positioning schools as the central hub, including that many schools are not adequately equipped and staff can lack training and capacity.”
“Coalition members are saying plainly that families deserve answers on the basics: who will qualify and how decisions are made; what supports are funded, at what intensity and for how long; what safeguards exist if a child's needs escalate; and what review rights families have and where they go when things go wrong. The report notes concern that accessing supports outside the NDIS can sometimes be perceived as affecting future access, and it stresses Thriving Kids participation should not block later NDIS entry. We agree with that direction, but we add this: no-one should be shifted out or delayed from entry unless viable alternative supports are in place and operating. This must be tested in practice, not just promised in a media release.”
“It also describes inconsistency in decision-making, with families reporting the same diagnosis producing different outcomes. Most concerning, the report records wait times of six months to four years for assessments and therapies, even in urgent cases. Sadly, by any measure that doesn't qualify as early intervention. The system is failing at the moment when families need help the most. Our major concern is that we've got a major announcement, but we are still lacking a huge amount of detail. I was hoping that we would help flesh this out through the inquiry and the report. The report itself notes that families have been repeatedly told that the change is coming, but the announcements have too often not been matched with detail, adding to their uncertainty and anxiety.”
“The report recommends an inclusive co-design process with evidence based interventions. We support strong safeguards, such as phased implementation and preventing loss of supports as the new arrangements roll out. We support better integrity and oversight, including the recommendation for an inspector-general of the NDIS. We support a single portal of entry, with multiple referral pathways so that families are not forced to navigate a maze. We support a clear principle that being in Thriving Kids must not preclude a child from entering the NDIS later if their needs change. We know there are areas where the government is failing these families right now. Evidence cited in the report describes families receiving information that is confusing, incomplete or poorly conveyed with slow communication.”
“Thriving Kids is described as a national system of supports for children aged eight and under with developmental delay and disability and low to moderate support needs delivered through mainstream services. The report notes the initiative is intended to ease pressure on the NDIS by offering earlier supports through settings like GPs, early childhood education, play groups and community health centres. We note the government has committed $2 billion over five years, with design to be settled with the states and territories. The report also notes evidence that around 739,000 participants receive NDIS support, and of those about 23 per cent are children under nine. What we, as coalition members—I should acknowledge the member for Nicholls, my coalition colleague on this committee—support in this report is that co-design is essential.”
“This is not always an easy process. It's a difficult topic for many people to talk about. On the lived experience that people have either as a person to whom the NDIS or potentially Thriving Kids would apply or as parents of those children, it takes a degree of strength to get up and make a contribution. But it's a valuable contribution because it helps shape the future of what the healthcare system of Australia will look like. So I want to make a proper acknowledgement of those contributions. At the outset, I just want to say that the coalition supports early identification and early intervention for children with developmental concerns. We will work constructively on sensible reforms that protect the NDIS for the long term.”
“It's wonderful to join with my fellow committee members today in speaking to this report. I would like at the outset to just thank all of the committee members for their genuine engagement on this issue, particularly the committee chair. The inquiry was pretty pressed for time and we were a little bit location limited, but I think everyone worked very hard in the circumstances to try and get the best possible inquiry report together. I think it's been a very useful exercise. The member for Macarthur, who is the chair of the committee, particularly brings a lot of real-world experience to this particular topic. The coalition are broadly very grateful for the skills he brings to this place and to this topic. I also want to thank the many people who made contributions by way of either submissions or evidence.”
“She's been assessed for a higher level of support, but she's been told that funding may still be months away. This is not a patient-first approach by this Labor government. The Commonwealth is shifting the burden onto families until they break. Under Labor's new system, older Australians can be given only 60 per cent of the support they've been assessed as needing, but the rest doesn't get paid back later. Prime Minister, please fix My Aged Care. Our older Australians deserve nothing but the best.”
“The commission's report finds that the median time from assessment approval to signing a service agreement has blown out to 245 days, up from 118 days just the year before. Labor promised to put the 'care' back into aged care, but all they've managed to do is put the 'wait' in waiting list. Let me tell you what this looks like on the ground. A constituent of mine moved to Coomera in April 2025 to support their 76-year-old aunt and uncle who live in Ormeau because there's no other family nearby. They're juggling full-time work and trying to provide informal care most afternoons and weekends. The uncle, John, has failing kidneys and is on a level 3 package, but his declining health means he can no longer afford basics like transport to appointments. The aunt, Sheila, has mid-stage dementia.”
“I'm sure if you gave World Carpets in Labrador in my electorate a phone call, you would get a better price than $50,000 for carpet in one room. Only Labor would see that as being good value. They are so out of touch. In my electorate of Fadden, there are almost 20,000 residents over the age of 65, and every week my office is contacted by older Australians and their families desperate for help navigating My Aged Care, which is too often a difficult and slow-to-respond process. The Productivity Commission's report on government services confirms what my constituents are living through. Under Labor, delays are getting worse. The median time for an aged-care assessment has increased to 27 days. But the real damage is after people are assessed.”
“Australians are suffering a cost-of-living crisis under this Labor government. Mortgages are up, power bills are up and grocery costs are up. Families tell me that they're cutting back everywhere. Under Labor, the great Australian dream is turning into a nightmare. While families juggle bills, Labor's priorities are on full display this week. Senate estimates has revealed that taxpayers have forked out $2.2 million on the renovation of the Greens party room. If you think about this in the midst of a housing crisis, in Queensland, you could build a home with Metricon for approximately $249,490. So that's about eight homes for the price of one party room. This $2.2 million renovation included nearly $50,000 in carpet.”
“While Queensland is acting, this federal Labor government has been too slow, too weak and too soft in stopping the supply chains of this trade. Well done to Premier David Crisafulli and his health minister, Tim Nicholls. Keep up that good work.”
“I rise to acknowledge the Crisafulli government's efforts to crack down on the illegal tobacco and vape trade in Queensland. Over just 10 days in December, 148 illegal stores were hit with 90-day closure orders—a total of 13,320 days shut. Operation Major seized $15.7 million in illegal product, including 11.8 million cigarettes and over 87,000 vapes. This matters because the black market is tied to organised crime, which targets our communities and our kids. These closure powers were strengthened by the reforms passed in the Queensland parliament on 19 November 2025. In my electorate, locals welcomed the recent enforcement action at Grice Avenue in Paradise Point. Law-abiding small businesses shouldn't be undercut by crooks. This is what restoring safety looks like—firm laws, real enforcement and consequences.”
“That shows the intent of these two men to give their all to those schools and their genuine engagement in what's best for the school groups. I wish both of them well in the next part of their journeys.”
“But, as always, our teachers will do what they do best and press on hard in the classroom. In closing, I want to give a couple of quick shout-outs, because at the end of last year we had a couple of departures from local schools, including that of Steve Josey from Labrador State School, who's moved down to Broadbeach. He is sorely missed by our community, and it was wonderful that he was able to attend the grade 6 graduation last year with a cohort that he'd seen through for many years. Also, my best wishes to Murray Gleadhill, who, up until last year, was the principal at Coombabah State School. He encountered some health issues, but he was able to attend the Coombabah State School grade 6 graduation.”
“One of the things that they're doing, for example, is the initiative that Principal Landon Dare has introduced at Arundel State School, which is the Mental Wealth Day, because they recognise that some of the greatest pressures on our students are no longer just in the classroom. That is an initiative that is extremely well supported by the community, who have really bought into it. Our schools continue to bear these social challenges and these government failures. Now on the horizon, I'm hearing from schools, is their uncertainty around what the Thriving Kids initiative will look like when it's rolled out in order to try and offload some of the NDIS burden that this government has created for itself. That is a big factor of uncertainty for our schools, parents and students.”
“What also happens when you can't manage the federal budget is the pressure that our schools are feeling. When you talk to our school principals, teachers and administrators, they say that students are coming to school feeling the pressures of social and economic hardship. If this government was serious about making the education system better and fairer, it would do more for families in order to provide food on the breakfast table, lunch in lunchboxes and dinner served at night. Instead, we've got kids turning up for school without food and without shoes, and that is not an equitable outcome or what our children deserve in this country. I think about some of the schools in my electorate, and I visit many of them.”
“But this Labor government continues to put up motions like this one today so that they can self-congratulate for nothing more than a photo opportunity for the minister, a big dollar headline and—bingo!—problem solved. The reality is this. They keep using the words 'better' and 'fairer', but the truth is that the outcomes are not living up to that. Their Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is a 'record investment' but by its own evidentiary fact is an admission that the system wasn't being properly funded by this government for years beforehand. It's this that provides me with the greatest deal of concern about the future. The Labor government, which prides itself on being some sort of righteous custodians of the education system, quite frankly can't manage money, and that puts frontline education services at risk.”
“There's nothing more that I enjoy speaking about in this place than education. I say that because we think in this place often of the future of our nation and of what that looks like. I also think of education through the prism of being the son of a schoolteacher. My mother, Therese, gave her entire career to teaching—a vocation that she personally took very seriously and one that she applied herself to. She specialised in the special education of those children who needed that little bit more effort. I know that she is representative of the teaching cohort that we are so very blessed to have in that profession across our country.”
“They've been partnering with Angel Flight Australia to establish an official Gold Coast base, improving patient access to our local hospital, but they also provide much-needed local aviation infrastructure for emergency services responses, including for PolAir, the rescue chopper and LifeFlight. They've been giving back to our local veterans, with a special veterans day with free flights last year, which about 60 veterans attended. And, notably, over Remembrance Day services last year at Runaway Bay, some of the locals flew their aeroplanes in formation, which was an amazing sight and a great tribute. (Time expired)”
“His record of service includes the Army, and he also represented Australia in rifle shooting—including at the Commonwealth Games, where he won gold. He continues to serve our community through Shooting Australia. To Brett, Glenn and Bruce: congratulations and thank you for your service. I rise to pay tribute to the Southport Flying Club, which has become a critical part of our local aviation community and emergency response network on the northern Gold Coast, and to President Craig Hobart and his executive team—Adam Surplice, the secretary; Sean Llewelyn, the treasurer; and the rest of the committee.”
“What better way to celebrate another bunch of Aussies making this their formal home? I recognise three locals from the northern Gold Coast who were honoured for their service to the community on Australia Day this year. Firstly, Mr Brett 'Crusher' Murray OAM was recognised for service to the media and motorsport. Brett's career spans four decades and in 2009 he founded Speedcafe, helping to reshape motorsport reporting in Australia. He's a local legend and this is thoroughly deserved. Mr Glenn Norris OAM of Coomera was recognised for service through emergency response organisations, including his long service with VMR Southport, which we locals know is such an important organisation. Glenn, thank you for your service. Finally, Brigadier Bruce Andrew Scott OAM, retired, was recognised for service to rifle shooting and to the community.”
“Today I rise to record my absolute joy at having attended the Australia Day citizenship ceremony at Helensvale on Australia Day this year. It was conducted at the Helensvale Community Centre and was run again this year by the Lions Club of Helensvale. A special shout out to president Laura Boase and all of the Helensvale Lions Club members, who did a terrific job that day. Special thanks to Paul Murphy, the citizenship coordinator and Steve Boase, the secretary. I also acknowledge the attendance of my fellow local representatives Mark Boothman, who's the local MP in the state parliament, and local councillors Councillor Mark Hammel, Councillor Donna Gates and Councillor Naomi Fowler. And, yes, afterwards, in typical Australian fashion, I enjoyed a scone with jam and cream.”
“Thirdly, the government expanded their five per cent deposit scheme but knew that there weren't enough houses in the system to meet the demand, driving prices through the roof. And, of course, the Treasurer has played his part as well, because interest rates are up. For all of these people in the gallery today: if you're a mortgage holder, it's about $1,800 more per month. We've lost 100,000 tradies and apprentices out of the system. If you don't have those trades, you can't build the houses. This minister was hopeless in Home Affairs. She's hopeless with homes.”
“Sadly, the great Australian dream has become a nightmare under this Labor government. At barbecues across Australia over summer, people were simply asking, 'How are our kids going to get into a home?' Well, here are just a few points as to where this Labor government is failing on housing. Firstly, they had what they called an ambitious target of 1.2 million homes over five years. That's 60,000 homes per quarter, every quarter. Of course, in year 1 they fell 65,000 homes short. The ABS data last week confirmed that they are now a further 15,000 homes behind. They are just not going to hit their moving target. Secondly, there was the chaos and dysfunction at Housing Australia, where they've lost their chair and there was a secret report that they won't reveal.”
“What that means is that Australians are avoiding about 10,000 GP visits every single day. Whilst Labor talk to their talking points and talk a big game on Medicare and bulk-billing, the real-life, lived experience in our communities is that people are not getting in to see GPs when they need to, and, when they do, they have to cough up hundreds of dollars upfront, with massive out-of-pocket expenses. If this is what Labor think is their custodianship of the health system, if Labor think that they are the standard-bearers based on this track record, they should be ashamed. Australians deserve better. We all need to get Medicare health and other services at the price that we can afford and in the places we need them, and that includes Taree.”
“The patient experience goes beyond what Labor puts in their talking points and what they put in their motions to speak to here in this place. The other problem that we've seriously encountered as a community is the out-of-pocket expenses that keep rising. I was just talking to the member for Moncrieff, who also acts as the shadow minister for youth, and the out-of-pocket expenses are disproportionately hurting those that can least afford it, including young Australians. As the shadow assistant minister for mental health, I am acutely aware of the pain that's being caused to younger Australians, who don't feel like they can go and get a GP visit when they need it. The average out-of-pocket GP costs have reached a historic high of more than $50—an eight per cent jump in just one year.”
“Let me talk about bulk-billing, because Labor continue to bang on about bulk-billing, but, sadly, their track record since they came to office in 2024 is utterly appalling. We heard the member for Riverina talk about the bulk-billing rates having dropped from 88 per cent to 77 per cent under this government. What that looks like in reality is that, in my electorate of Fadden, in the year of 2021-22 it was 1.594 million visits. That fell under this Labor government, under this minister for health and ageing and under this prime minister by 353,000 visits to the point where in 2023-24 it was down to 1.2 million visits. It's an 11 per cent reduction in bulk-billing. That's what's happened and that's what patients are dealing with in my electorate and, in fact, that's what they're dealing with all over Australia.”
“You could buy a bottle of milk for $2.80, and you could buy a loaf of bread for about $2.50. Now, sadly, the Labor government has lost control of the budget so badly that the cost-of-living pressures that Australians are facing have skyrocketed under this government, and the cost of those everyday essentials has now completely eroded any gain that they think they might have been able to get under this government from their PBS medicine discount. That's life under Labor: you're feeling poorer every payday because life costs more. Then they give you a drip feed of a little corflute slogan that they're going to wheel out in an election, but it doesn't touch the sides in reality.”
“For this particular motion today, honestly, I suspect that the member has gone straight to the Labor Party talking points, pressed print and gone, 'Let's talk about that today.' There's been no real thought, no real effort to design something that might appear to be genuine. What we've seen today is nothing more than just a spit-out of the Labor talking points. I say that because it's so limited in what they actually write in these things. The first thing that I wanted to pick up on is the effort by this Labor government to only talk about the cost of medicines back in 2004. Now, it's great that the copayment has been reduced to $25. They all went out and did videos talking about what things were like in 2004. Well, I'll tell you what life was like in 2004.”
“The false economy ends, and the prices hit the households. For many families this isn't a cost-of-living crisis anymore; it's simply a cost-of-survival crisis. In the current financial year alone, Labor has added an additional $50 billion of new and discretionary spending decisions—almost the value of the entire national defence budget. But being loose with the national budget means that it's getting tighter for Australian households. Last week we saw the CPI data go up to 3.8 per cent. That means milk, bread, back-to-school basics, insurance—all those costs of living—are all higher under this Labor government, and that is why Australians feel poorer every payday under Labor.”
“And of course, just an hour after I spoke to him on the phone, Leigh and every Australian with a mortgage were delivered a crushing blow when the Reserve Bank raised interest rates for the 13th time under this Labor government. The rate rise was no accident. It's a direct consequence of Labor's addiction to spending, which has kept inflation higher for longer and left the RBA with no choice but to keep tightening. And so, while the Treasurer preens at the dispatch box using his two- and three-word groupings, families on the Gold Coast and across Australia are doing some really difficult sums at the kitchen table. The average mortgage is up by around $1,800 a month since Labor took office in 2022. That's about $22,000 a year. Electricity prices have surged, and we've all seen what happens when the rebates run out.”
“My stress levels are already out of control. I cannot remember the last time I had a holiday, and I just worked on my days off on the weekend to try and earn extra money.' Leigh's message to government was direct but very fair: 'It is not my fault the government spending is out of control.' That's a hard email to receive because you can hear the stress in between the lines of writing, a person who's doing everything right. I know he's got a well-paying job, working extra shifts, sacrificing time with family, trying to stay afloat and yet still worried about the next movement of interest rates and how much further that will push him over the edge. The more confronting thing about his email was the screenshot attached from his bank with the default message.”
“I don't think that's something that the Treasurer enjoys getting a flashback to. And, in 2016, interest rates continued to drop. By the end of that year, the Reserve Bank rate was just 1.5 per cent. And here's the broader point: interest rates are always lower under a coalition government because we believe in fiscal discipline and this new generation of Labor governments simply do not. Our view on this side of the House is simple: live within our means, restore some budget rules and get inflation down so that rates can come down and families can breathe again. Just yesterday, I received an email from my constituent Leigh from Pacific Pines, and I want the House to hear what Labor's cost-of-living crisis looks like in plain English and lived experience. Leigh wrote to me: 'If there is an interest rate hike today, it will kill me.”
“It's always a great privilege to rise in this place. One of the things about this place is, of course, tradition and the honour that we give to the democracy of Australia. But there are so many trends out there that defy those niceties of the old days. Some of them are these online trends, like the one that happened recently, the 2016 flashback. I couldn't help but notice that the Treasurer didn't participate in that social media trend, which got me to wondering why that would be. He seems like a hip kind of guy. I reckon the reason he doesn't want to think about 2016 isn't that it was Trump's first election and isn't that it was the year of Brexit. It is because in that year of 2016 the cash rate set by the RBA in its February meeting 10 years ago was—you guessed it—two per cent.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, Leigh, from Pacific Pines in my electorate, wrote to me yesterday about Labor's latest interest rate hike. Leigh told me: 'It will kill me. My stress levels are already out of control. I cannot remember the last time I had a holiday, and I just work on my days off on the weekend to try and earn extra money.' Prime Minister, can you guarantee to struggling Australians like Leigh that there won't be any more interest rate increases this year?”
“The tragedy of the Bondi event was that it left Jewish Australians asking, 'What future do we have in this country?' And it left all Australians asking, 'What country do we have for our future?' As parliamentarians and as leaders, we must now step up and deliver the promise of Australia and make sure that we have a secure future ahead.”
“The next night we came together on the Gold Coast for a unique commemoration at the HOTA Precinct. The thing that stood out to me was the singing that everyone participated in of the song I am Australian and the words 'I am, you are, we are Australian'. In the Australia that I know you can watch footy on a Saturday, you can go to church on a Sunday and you get up for work on a Monday morning; and you can go to the beach any time you please. This, of course, is illustrative; it's not exhaustive because, as Australians, the whole point of our way of life is one of individual choice, whether it be your footy team or your religion.”
“But at 6.47 pm on Sunday 14 December, it became glaringly apparent that antisemitism in Australia was not under control. And I want to share today the Queensland and Gold Coast perspective on the tragic events. The Gold Coast, where I'm from, is a long way from Bondi, but I know that the pain was felt keenly by our Jewish community. Jewish Australians have played a significant role in building our city, as they have as nation-builders. They've been building in commerce, in the arts and in the community. And so, as Queenslanders, we came together in City Hall in Brisbane on 21 December. I must pay credit to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Premier David Crisafulli, both of whom gave incredible speeches at what was a very moving commemorative event. Those gentlemen showed real leadership and real heart.”