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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“The Hamas terror attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which slaughtered thousands of innocent people, were an inflection point and a warning that should have been heeded. Instead, Jewish Australians have lived in fear—more fear than any other Australian and a level of fear that Australians should not tolerate. The fear that Jewish Australians have lived in has turned out to be very real. I suspect that many Australians didn't fully understand what antisemitism actually was before that terrible day in December last year. It's a word that broadly captures so much in so few letters, but it's the type of word with the type of meaning that most Australians who are getting on with their average lives—waking up, taking the kids to school and going to work—simply assume that, because it's so bad, surely the government must have it under control.”
“My heart is absolutely broken for those who lost their lives on 14 December and for those left behind who bear the scars of that terrible event—the family, the friends and, more broadly, the Jewish community. Firstly, I'd like to thank those who assisted on that terrible day: the police, the paramedics, the lifesavers and the ordinary Australians who became heroes and entered folklore that day. For a terrorist attack to occur in broad daylight at Bondi Beach, the most idyllic and quintessentially Australian location, is beyond tragic. This was an attack not just on Jewish Australians but on all Australians. We all know that feeling of gathering on the beach to celebrate a birthday, a wedding, Australia Day or, in this case, an important Jewish celebration.”
“They could start by freezing or reducing electricity prices, because, otherwise, no-one will be able to keep the beer cold. It seems now that mild panic has set in for the finance team, because the finance minister has been questioned about cuts to the public service. She said to the ABC: It's an exercise in discipline. She said: The budget is in deficit. We have a lot of pressures on it. We can't just keep adding on to everything She characterised it as a 'reprioritisation' rather than a 'cut'. It's really just tricky language, and, quite frankly, Australians deserve better than lukewarm beer and this lukewarm Labor government.”
“The economic data out today has confirmed that this Labor government has Australia heading in the wrong direction. Annual inflation has increased, both CPI and trimmed mean, with the CPI figure now a whopping 3.8 per cent. Electricity costs rose 37.1 per cent, and housing is up 5.9 per cent. The Treasurer will come in here during question time, no doubt, and say—using his two- or three-word groupings, like it's 'concerning but unsurprising'—that we know people are doing it tough. But in the final week of parliament this year, what's their big economic play? Freezing beer excise. Now, we support that, because I love having a beer down at the Boardwalk Tavern at Hope Island, but, can I tell you, they need to do a bit better than that.”
“I recently had the privilege of attending a number of school awards and presentation evenings across my electorate at the northern end of the Gold Coast. These events showcase the hard work of students, the dedication of teachers and staff and the support of parents and carers right across our communities. I want to recognise Chelsea Cox from Pimpama State Secondary College, Charlotte Tattersall from Pacific Pines State High School, Maya Nunn from Pacific Pines State High School, James Nguyen from Coombabah State High School, Eva Pager from St Joseph's College Coomera and Preston Williams from A.B. Paterson College. I presented all these students with the Cameron Caldwell MP Leadership Award. This is well deserved recognition for their great year.”
“I rise to recognise that November is Movember. This is a month when Australians across the country grow a mo, move more or start conversations to change the face of men's health. Movember began here in Australia and has grown into a global movement funding programs in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Hundreds of projects are supported worldwide. To date, they've raised around $1.8 billion in their 23 years. Behind the moustaches are serious issues. Too many men still die too young from preventable cancers, and too many families know the pain of losing a father, a brother or a mate to suicide. A big 'thankyou' to all the blokes out there growing mos and raising funds. I encourage everyone to chip in and support them.”
“They abolished the National Mental Health Commission. Instead of just congratulating themselves on the list of hubs, the government should be responding to the commission's very clear set of priorities, and perhaps one of the speakers to this motion will confirm whether or not the government will adopt the report's recommendations. The coalition is proud of the foundations we laid in government: Head to Health, headspace, universal after care and suicide prevention. Only the coalition will treat this issue as a genuine priority, and we will continue to hold the Labor government to account. (Time expired)”
“There is another problem that Labor fails to recognise. These centres were called 'Head to Health' for a reason. The name was carefully chosen after consultation, to reduce stigma and make it easier, especially for men, to walk through the door and ask for help. Rebadging them as 'Medicare Mental Health Centres' might suit a political strategy, but it ignores the thinking behind the original name and risks discouraging some Australians who are already hesitant about seeking support. We know that many sector experts were not in favour of the name change, but it was made pretty clear that it wasn't up for negotiation. While Labor has been busy changing signs, the fundamentals have gone backwards. They cut Medicare subsidised psychology sessions from 20 back to 10, against the advice of their own experts.”
“They are rebranded Head to Health centres funded and designed by the former coalition government. In the 2021-22 budget, the coalition invested $487.2 million over four years to roll out a national network of Head to Health centres and satellites. We welcome the fact that Labor has acknowledged that our model works. What we do not accept is Labor spending $29.9 million of taxpayers' money simply to rebadge these coalition created centres so that they can take the credit. It's been exposed that a big share of that $29 million has gone into new signage, marketing, branding and websites while the services themselves remain largely unchanged. Mental health support should never be turned into a marketing exercise. Every dollar that goes into new logos or ad campaigns is a dollar that's not going into extra sessions, more staff or new services.”
“The report shows outcomes are worse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It found that four in 10 Australians delayed or skipped mental health care in 2023-24. Three in 10 Indigenous adults report a high or very high level of distress. One in seven children experienced mental illness in the last year. So, when Labor members stand up and say they are delivering more mental health services in the heart of their communities, the independent umpire is saying the national framework that they are responsible for delivering is broken and not doing the job. Before Labor members try to rewrite history, we should set the record straight on the very services they are boasting about in this motion today. The 'Medicare mental health centres' they keep talking about are not Labor's creation at all.”
“If you strip away the slogans in this motion today, what Labor is really asking the House to do is applaud a system that the Productivity Commission has just found is 'fragmented and out of reach for many people'. Three years after the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement was signed in 2022, the commission reported: … services remain uncoordinated, unaffordable and difficult to navigate. … … … Key commitments in the Agreement have not been delivered and should be completed as a priority. For example, immediately prioritise the gap impacting about 500,000 people with moderate to severe mental illness who miss out on psychosocial supports outside the NDIS. Around 3,000 Australians die by suicide each year, and that has not shifted in about a decade.”
“I rise to speak on this motion on mental health and to make one simple point: that the government's spin and feel-good fuzz doesn't match the reality Australians are experiencing in our mental health system. I acknowledge that October was Mental Health Month, an opportunity to appropriately focus on this very important area of policy. I welcome genuine effort to support parents, children, young people and adults with their mental health. And, whilst I acknowledge the assistant minister's good intentions, sympathy is no substitute for competence. On 16 October, the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement review was handed down by the Productivity Commission.”
“Thirdly, the government has expanded the five per cent deposit scheme knowing full well that there are not enough houses to meet the demand. Fourthly, the average mortgage holder—lots of these people sitting up there in the gallery today—is paying $1,800 a month more in interest under this Labor government than they were under the coalition. And, finally, over 100,000 tradies and apprentices have dropped out of the construction sector. Without those trades, we simply cannot build houses. Labor need to fix their mess.”
“Sadly, the great Australian dream has become a nightmare under this Labor government. In fact, Labor's housing policy is so bad that it's been compared to England's performance in the Ashes just this week. Here are just a few of the points that are of concern to everyday Australians trying to break into the housing market or find a rental that's affordable. Labor had an ambitious target, they say, of 1.2 million homes over five years. But, quite frankly, this is entirely misleading, because in year 1 they missed that target by 80,000 homes—just in the first year. Secondly, chaos and dysfunction are reigning at Housing Australia. They've lost their chair, and of course there's a $24,000 secret report that the government won't release.”
“We will have a community service at Woongoolba, which will be at the bowls club, led by members of the community, and what has become an iconic service at Woongoolba State School. But there will also be services across our community at many schools, and I urge everyone on that day to take a moment to remember.”
“In the electorate that I represent we are very well served by RSL subbranches that not only look after our local veterans but also take a lead role in commemorations for both Remembrance Day and Anzac Day. I want to thank those organisations and the many volunteers for the work they do in providing that opportunity in April and November each year for the community to gather. On Remembrance Day this year we will have services at the Runaway Bay cenotaph, which will be conducted by the Runaway Bay RSL subbranch, and also a service over at the North Gold Coast RSL subbranch, which will be at Helensvale, just behind the bowls club. Additionally, I'm very pleased to see that the Rotary Club of Hope Island will be continuing their commemoration services at Sanctuary Cove.”
“Today I want to reflect on Remembrance Day and what it means to our local community. The date of 11 November holds a very special place in the heart of all Australians. At 11 am on 11 November each year we come together and have a moment of silence to remember the lives lost and to commemorate those who've served and protected our nation and its values. Having been connected directly to serving personnel—my grandfather fought in World War II and my great-uncle died at Lone Pine in Gallipoli in World War I—I probably feel the sense of contribution of our service men and women more deeply. But on 11 November we recognise the moment in time where peace descended upon the world and we recognise and remember the role Australians played in achieving that peace.”
“But, in summing up, I think it's quite clear that what this government proposes to do, using the power it has in its large majority, in one of its first acts of this parliament, is shameful and will no longer provide the Australian people with the transparency and accountability they deserve.”
“Again, the action of this government, through this legislation, is not one of allowing the public to shine a light on its decisions; it's one of putting roadblocks in the way. That example of putting a financial disincentive in the system for people who will probably struggle to meet those fees—when all they're trying to do is hold their government to account—is extremely concerning. Again, sadly, we have only a relatively short period of time to make a contribution in this place—and believe me, I could go on for a bit longer, and I would have loved to.”
“That means that agencies can stop when things get a bit too hard, no matter the value, the importance of the issue: 'No, sorry: tools down; we've gone past the allocated time.' It's really not good enough. I mentioned that one of the fundamental problems we have with this legislation is the delay that will occur. We know that schedule 4 blows out the time frames, from 30 calendar days to 30 working days. We know that this system is already prone to delays. This won't help with efficiency or transparency; it will make things worse. But possibly the most concerning aspect is the application and review fees—what we on this side of the House have described as a truth tax.”
“That is that protections for whistleblowers, journalists, advocates and citizens who have a genuine fear of reprisal will now have their protections lost, because they can no longer maintain their anonymity when they make these requests. That is extremely concerning, because quite often the types of people who are making these inquiries are the ones who are most vulnerable to having their identity shown. It is such a critical part of our democracy that we have proper third-party scrutiny—from whistleblowers, from the media—and I fear that this will discourage that scrutiny from occurring. Schedule 3 is probably an example of how this could go very wrong. A 40-hour processing cap is now being proposed.”
“This bill—whilst completely overlooking some fundamentally important principles, in my view—has nine schedules. Schedule 1 rewrites the objects of the act. As I said earlier, minor administrative wording changes? Fantastic. Fundamentally changing the objective of the act that provides public access to information? It elevates the proper functioning of government over public access, completely flipping the freedom-of-information presumption. Schedule 2, as my friend the member for Casey referred to in his contribution, is of particular concern. I think this is where some of the public commentary from a number of interested bodies, groups and representative bodies has come from. I think it's where much of the concern from our crossbench colleagues has come from.”
“Our job in this place and as an opposition is simple: we must defend the public's right to know about the government and what their plans are with this legislation to make it harder, slower and more expensive to try and seek the transparency and accountability that they fundamentally deserve. The parliament, in considering this legislation, faces one basic question: do we move from a position of openness to one of control? Australians deserve access to the reasons behind a decision, not just the press release that comes after the fact. The coalition, by its very nature, is one that doesn't enjoy a bloated bureaucracy; let me assure you of that. But modernisation and improved access should not be done in a way that will reduce people's right and ability to find out more information.”
“I think about what the average resident of my electorate or Queensland or Australia would think about this particular piece of legislation, and I suspect that they would say that freedom of information is not a privilege; it is a right that is owed by the government to its people, the right that we all have to check, to question and to challenge. In a healthy democracy, the default position should be one of disclosure, and secrecy and cover-ups should be the rare event, not the status quo. As I said, fundamentally, this amending legislation misses the point about transparency and accountability.”
“Perhaps the schoolchildren up there will one day become lawyers and end up spending a lot of time reviewing legislation, so it's probably fair that, on page 11, item 21 makes an amendment that says, 'Omit "name of an", substitute "designation of the".' It's pretty vanilla stuff. It's what lawyers do. They write legislation, they read it, they interpret it. Sure, make that change, but the problem is that this legislation goes on to do so much more than make minor wording amendments. I'm very proud to be here, representing my community. At all times, when I make a contribution in this place, the community that I represent and Australians are front and centre of my thoughts, and it's my job to highlight the failings of this government in what they do.”
“The Australian people do not want a majority of this government in this place to be used to crush the very principles of government accountability and scrutiny, which is exactly what they are choosing to do, and at a time when Australians are struggling to pay the bills. We have seen Australians paying an average mortgage that's $1,800 more per month. We have seen electricity prices rise by 39 per cent. The ABS called it out specifically last week in their data that, in fact, in the last 12 months we have seen 23 per cent rises in power prices. Yet here we are, standing here debating a bill which is to provide cover to this government for the poor decisions that they continue to make. I say that this is not how the government should be using their time in office. In fact, it's the very opposite. Much amending legislation is quite boring.”
“Sadly, during the 47th Parliament and now the 48th Parliament, the opposition are receiving fewer questions than ever before. Just this week, in an hour and 10 minutes or so of question time, the opposition were granted only six questions. The Prime Minister and his ministers hide from the scrutiny that the Australian people deserve at every available opportunity. In question time, it's on very public display that they don't grant the opposition enough questions to genuinely hold the government to account on behalf of the people of Australia. This amending legislation comes before the parliament less than six months after the Prime Minister and his Labor government were returned with a whopping majority. Is this what the Australian people signed up for in giving them 90-plus seats? I think not.”
“In preparation for this speech I printed out and reviewed the 79 pages of this bill. Given that it is titled the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025, one would assume that transparency and accountability would be front and centre of this amending legislation. In actual fact, the word 'transparency' does not appear in this amending legislation. 'Accountability' does not appear anywhere in this legislation. It's a sad indictment on this government that they think that it's okay to hide from the Australian people, to put barriers between their decisions and the Australian people, and that's exactly what this bill does. There's a bit of a theme to what we see from this government. For those of you who are here, you might be avid watchers of question time.”
“There are some things in this place that we talk about that I think resonate even more strongly with our constituents than others do, and this particular topic of transparency and accountability is one of them. It's wonderful to see some schoolchildren up there in our parliament. Welcome, people in the gallery. They're here to observe, to understand, to listen, to see how this parliament works, to understand more about our democracy and to perhaps take away more insight into what the government, who sits on that side of this place, does in setting the tone and making decisions that affect every single one of them. This amendment bill that I'm speaking to today takes away some of the fundamental principles of democracy that we all hold dear; the accessibility to having accountability for decisions that are made by this government.”
“Amongst other things, she has quite reasonably asked that taxpayers be given an explanation as to what has happened with the project: 'There needs to be lessons learnt, captured and acknowledged to avoid more of the same in the future.' Another resident, Mark, says: 'I don't know exactly why the BOM changed the radar, but it is for the worse. It doesn't zoom as much, and it is worse for boaties, as it doesn't have any observations. Pressure needs to be put on them to change it back or make it better, not worse.' It's a pretty fair request, and one which has also been made by the Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli. He says: 'We want a website that people can understand. For $4.1 million, you wouldn't think that would be too much to ask.' (Time expired)”
“I rise to speak on behalf of my community in relation to the concerns they've had about the botched BOM interface update that has been undertaken by this government. To all Queenslanders out there: we understand the importance of this service to you, particularly those of you in regional and rural parts of Queensland. I have taken the opportunity to write to the minister to express our community's concerns, because this has genuine impacts on our local community. I'm very pleased to have received some correspondence from interested local residents. One resident, Louise, has been a business analyst for 15 years, working mostly on large IT projects in state and federal government.”
“Now, tomorrow is Melbourne Cup Day and, quite frankly, under better economic managers, everyone should've had a win. Instead, interest rates will almost certainly remain at 3.25 per cent for the long haul. People are working harder but they're just not getting ahead.”
“Australia national debt is, at $1.2 trillion, on the brink of being the highest in our nation's history—all of this at the hands of the current Treasurer. What does that represent in real terms? It could be $50,000 every minute or $72 million in a single day or $26 billion in interest every year down the gurgler. This Labor government has poor economic management dressed up in slick spin. They are completely delusional in not acknowledging that Australians out there are doing it tough. The average mortgage has gone up by around $1,800 a month since Labor took office, and last week we saw some ABS data that had CPI headline numbers up by 1.3 per cent. They pulled out electricity for special mention. It has gone up by 23.6 per cent in just one year.”
“Frontline services report the worst in living memory for homelessness. Monthly service demand is up 10 per cent since 2022—14 per cent for women and girls. The third plank now, based on the minister's social media this week, is that she's backing in hard the Premier's plan in Victoria. The Jacinta Allan led Labor government now is going to provide the solution to housing in her home state. That shows the lack of judgement that this minister has exercised since she was appointed.”
“Just this week, they will have fallen another 1,500 homes short of their target—all this failure is while presiding over one of the biggest population surges Australia has had in decades. The second plank of their failed policy seems to be to spend more and get less. This motion speaks to a pattern we see today that Labor has spent more than ever to build fewer homes than under the last coalition government. New Parliamentary Library analysis shows almost $60 billion in headline and off-budget housing spend, for fewer homes than were previously delivered under the coalition. Completions are falling year on year despite the cash splash. That is the definition of policy failure. One of the things that Labor doesn't actually like to talk about is the impact on homelessness, because when there's a housing crisis it hurts everyone.”
“Its policy is taglines that fit on a corflute but nothing more. Labor's centrepiece, the Housing Australia Future Fund is now under a formal performance audit by the Auditor-General into its design and delivery. When the Auditor-General steps in, you know something has gone badly wrong. In addition, in the last couple of weeks, the chair of Housing Australia has resigned, and Labor has continued to keep secret a $24,000 report into poor governance and wide-ranging issues at Housing Australia. Labor promised 1.2 million new homes in Australia over a five-year period, but Treasury and industry experts have confirmed that they are likely to fall 400,000 homes short of this target. By the end of today, that target will have slipped by another 220 homes.”
“Just over two years on, I reflect on those words and think that that sentiment about homeownership and the opportunities that should be presented to Australians are more important now than ever. Australians should ask themselves, 'Who is the better custodian of housing in Australia—a coalition who genuinely believes in the Australian dream or the Labor Party, who, for the last four years, has had a track record of failed policy, fewer homes, higher mortgages and higher rents?' Sadly, under Labor, the great Australian dream is turning into a nightmare. Minister O'Neil was hapless in home affairs, but she is hopeless with homes. The first plank of their failing plan is to blame everyone else. They're now framing the housing crisis as, 'forty years in the making,' when, in fact, it's only been the last four, under this Labor government.”
“The longer you're in this place, the more time you have to reflect. In preparation for my speech today, I reviewed my maiden speech that I gave in this place on 4 September 2023. I want to read part of that speech. I said: I was fortunate enough to buy my first property during the time of the Howard government, but I fear that the great Australian dream is being snatched away. We must strive, as a nation, to increase homeownership. There is no better way to illustrate the collective ambition of our nation to have individual freedom and responsibility than to have people own their own home. Give as many people as possible the opportunity to have a stake in our nation.”
“I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges that the Government has made Australia's housing crisis worse than ever by: (a) overseeing a historic collapse of housing construction, with the last financial year seeing less homes built than at any other time during this Government; (b) expanding the 5 per cent deposit scheme from a sensible and targeted approach, to an uncapped and non-means tested, free-for-all which will push up prices and expose first home buyers to larger mortgages; (c) creating the failing Housing Australia Future Fund which is buying houses from Australians, not building houses for Australians; and (d) allowing the criminal and corrupt Construction, Forestry, and Maritime Employees Union to run rampant across Australian residential building sites, pushing up apartment prices by up to 30 per cent; and (2) notes that: (a) the Government continues to keep a $24,000 report into poor governance at Housing Australia secret; and (b) leaked advice from the Department of the Treasury states that the Government will fail to reach its National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes by 2029.”
“My question is to the Minister for Housing. The Insurance Council of Australia have warned that Labor's reckless expansion of its Help to Buy Scheme will drive up house prices by 6.6 per cent next year, and for years afterwards. They have said: … if one asks who is most likely to be priced out of the market … it is lower-income first home buyers … That means a young couple buying a home worth $800,000 today could be forced to pay more than $52,000 extra. Why is it that when Labor fails Australians pay the price?”
“Under this minister, the agency charged with building homes has become a bureaucracy that builds excuses. Three weeks ago we exposed, in Senate estimates, a secret $24,000 governance report into wide-ranging issues at Housing Australia. The government is still hiding it. Taxpayers deserve transparency. Will the minister answer this: what did the governance report find, and when will you release it? Labor is spending record sums of money to deliver fewer homes than the previous coalition government. Their aspirational target of 1.2 million homes is nothing more than a dream.”
“Australians deserve a government that will facilitate housing construction and homeownership. Homeownership is quintessentially Australian. It provides self-determination and traditionally has been the first step in a secure financial future. Homeownership is something that we on the coalition side of the House strongly believe in. Under this Labor government the great Australian dream is turning into a nightmare. I note the recent resignation of the chair of Housing Australia last week, and I wish her well. But her departure confirms what we've been warning for months: Labor has presided over chaos, waste and dysfunction at Housing Australia. The departure of the chair raises more questions than the number of houses built by this Labor government.”
“What this is about is the fundamental approach that Labor will take in trying to chase more of your money, because when they can't manage their budget they will come after yours. What we've seen with this higher interest rate environment is that Australians are struggling to borrow money. They are struggling to pay these high mortgages. They are struggling to buy homes. How do we solve this? There needs to be some accountability, there need to be some fiscal guardrails, and the Treasurer needs to stop spending money on the Australian credit card and expecting Australians to pay.”
“Yet, when we went to the last election, the headlines that Labor put on corflutes said 'Cheaper child care'. It's just not right. They say one thing, but their delivery is doing something else. We heard my friend the member for Casey talking about our beloved treasurer, who only a matter of weeks ago got absolutely rolled, embarrassingly, by the Prime Minister. You see, the situation that our national accounts face is such that they are so desperate to bring in more income that they were prepared to tax unrealised gains on superannuation. That's not tax reform; that is a tax raid on hardworking Australians' retirement savings. This is not about the backflip—although that, itself, was pretty entertaining to watch.”
“Local families in my electorate of Fadden feel like they're working harder but that they're not getting ahead. For many this isn't a cost-of-living crisis anymore; it's a cost-of-survival crisis. I want to highlight one particular sector where we are seeing the poor economic management of this Labor government hitting Australian families in the hip pocket, and that's child care. A young couple with two children in child care who live on Hope Island in my electorate talked to me about the cost rises that they've suffered under this Labor government. At the start of 2024, the daily rate they were paying for child care was $153. Now, it's up to $190.20. That is up by $37.20. That $190 a day represents a 24.3 per cent increase in their childcare fees.”
“And what could that wasted interest have funded instead? It's not abstract; it's real, tangible money. It could be paying for vital road and rail projects, Medicare, schools, pensioners or perhaps putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Australians through some tax relief. That's the opportunity cost of a Labor government. Under Labor, Australia has suffered an historic collapse in living standards. And despite what my friend opposite said earlier, mortgages are up around $1,800 per month since Labor took office. Markets expect that interest rates are going to remain around 3.25 per cent for the long haul. Those higher interest rates, those higher mortgage repayments, are now baked in. The pain is being felt. Electricity prices are up 39 per cent. Housing—rents are up 21 per cent. Food, health and education costs are all up.”
“It gives me great pleasure today to rise and speak in support of this motion moved by the member for Casey, because the state of Australia's financial management deserves to be highlighted. We, as a nation, are on the brink of the highest national debt in our history—$1.2 trillion. The Treasurer likes to remind us all of how much of an overachiever he is. As I've said in this place before, I know that one day he'd like to be on the mugs and the tea towels out there in the parliamentary shop, but this is one record that nobody has asked the Treasurer to break, and that is that he will preside over the highest level of debt that our nation has ever seen. While he preens, it's Australians who pay—$50,000 every minute on interest. That's $72 million in just one day. It's $26 billion every year.”
“Parliament's a funny place. Today, I'm disappointed but I'm not surprised that we don't have the Minister for Health and Ageing in the room. When the motion was read out before—we are talking about $22 billion worth of government expenditure, and, quite frankly, the minister should be here to explain what his department is doing to help Australians get the care that they need. Instead, we're very fortunate! The member for Robertson's just left. He sent two doctors in, which is great. So we've got the medical care that we need. We just don't have the ministerial care that we deserve. The assistant minister I'll come to in a moment—no, I'll come to him now. Welcome, Assistant Minister. It's great to see you here, and I'm sure that you'll pass on these questions and our concerns from the coalition to Minister Butler.”
“He fought for better facilities and investment that created jobs for locals, hallmarks of a life devoted to the Gold Coast community. To Paul's family; to his wife, Yvonne; to his children, including Darren, who now serves on the Gold Coast City Council; and to the wider Taylor family: I offer my deepest condolences and thank you for sharing with us. Paul's legacy is written into the coastline he protected, the clubs he strengthened and the projects he pushed to get over the line. When I'm next down at Kurrawa Surf Club, I will have a beer for you. Thank you, mate, for your service, for your friendship. Vale, Paul Taylor.”
“I rise today to honour my friend and former council colleague Paul Taylor, who was a long-serving member of the Gold Coast City Council for the area of Broadbeach. Paul and I were both first selected to council in 2012. From day one, he brought a builder's mindset—pragmatic and plain speaking. In the chamber, he was famous for a firm thump and saying, 'Are we building a city or what?' Paul served from 2012 to 2020, including in leadership roles such as chair of the water and waste committee. But his service to our city went beyond city hall. Deeply involved with the Kurrawa Surf Club and the Broadbeach soccer club, he was always championing volunteers, lifesavers and junior sport. He started a small business that turned into a large business.”