Basem Abdo
Calwell · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The World Cup is a festival of football, and I'm proud of our government's backing through the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program, which helped bring the world game to the big screens at Town Hall Broadmeadows, alongside our local partners.”
“We know Australia for what it is—a nation built by people who have come from every corner of the world seeking opportunity, working hard, raising families and helping build a better life for themselves and in turn helping build Australia.”
“I happened to graduate from the same school as Aziz and members of his family, and shared a university class with one of his siblings. Some of his earlier moments in the football journey were at one of our local clubs, Hume City, before going on to represent Australia on the world stage as a Socceroo.”
“We believe in an Australia that's confident in its diversity and strengthened by the contributions of people from every corner of the world who have chosen to make this country home.”
“When it comes to cost-of-living support, we're supporting first home buyers get a foothold into the market because we see homeownership for what it is—helping families get the stability they need in attaining the security of a home.”
“The Albanese Labor government is delivering for working families. Whether it be investments in Medicare, housing, roads, infrastructure or cost-of-living relief, we're focused on what matters.”
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“When it comes to home building, we've got an ambitious national target of 1.2 million new homes to address the key issue of housing supply. To help Australia get there, we're cutting red tape, delivering new infrastructure and training more tradies right across the country. Lifting housing supply depends on having the skilled workforce to build it. It's why we're backing skills training for tradies with practical measures to grow the pipeline of qualified tradies needed to get more homes built. There are 1,765 apprentices in Calwell, many benefiting from apprentice support payments. We're back in the game of building more social and affordable housing, working with the state government to deliver 121 new and refurbished social homes in my community.”
“Labor's five per cent deposit scheme reduces one of the biggest barriers to ownership. It allows eligible buyers to enter the market sooner without waiting years to save a 20 per cent upfront deposit. In Calwell, the impact has been clear, with real progress on the ground and on delivery. Since Labor came to government, 3,912 people in my electorate to date have purchased their first home with a five per cent deposit. That means 3,912 households and families no longer stuck on the sidelines trying to chase a moving target—thousands of families who have secured a home and begun paying down their own mortgage. It is the fundamentally life-changing reality of homeownership—a set of keys, a stable roof over their head and, finally, a measure of certainty about where they will live in the years ahead.”
“As it intensified under the coalition's decade of neglect, the Commonwealth stood back, abandoning the responsibility of meeting the challenge through leadership and national coordination. We recognise that a challenge of this scale, built up over decades, will not be solved overnight. Under the Albanese Labor government, the Commonwealth is back at the table, marking a significant change in federal involvement in housing. Our ambitious $45 billion plan for housing is focused on three areas to ensure that hard work once again delivers the security of a home—building more homes, making it easier to buy and making it better for renters. It is the boldest, most ambitious and substantial housing agenda pursued by a Commonwealth government since the postwar era, and it is being rolled out right across Australia and in my own community.”
“For many, working hard, playing by the rules and building careers hasn't translated into securing a stable place to live. I hear it from young people who did everything that they were told would set them up for success—study, steady work and disciplined saving—yet they doubt they'll ever own a home. I hear it from parents who were able to buy early in life and now worry their children won't have the same foundation of security. I hear it from renters absorbing relentless increases and facing tough choices about where they live, how far they commute and what they go without. I know it from family. I hear it from my community. I've seen it from firsthand experience. This challenge has been building for decades.”
“I move: That this House: (1) notes that: (a) on 1 October 2025, the Government expanded the 5 per cent deposit scheme to all Australian first home buyers, three months ahead of schedule; and (b) more than 220,000 Australians have now bought their first home with a small deposit of 5 per cent or less thanks to the expanded 5 per cent deposit scheme; (2) acknowledges that this housing challenge has been 40 years in the making, thanks in part to underinvestment and under-delivery of previous governments; and (3) commends the Government's $45 billion housing agenda, which is focused on building more homes, making it easier to buy, and making it better to rent. I welcome the opportunity to move this motion on Australia's housing challenge. Housing has become one of the defining pressures on the lives of Australians.”
“It's an opportunity to build foundations for the next decade and the one after that, to open the doors of opportunity wider than they are today and to ensure that people in my community are not locked out of their potential. That is what this legislation does, and I'm proud to support it. I commend the bills to the House.”
“It is about the Australia we are building for the next decade and the one after that—a country that wants to manufacture more of what it needs; a country that wants to train its own teachers, tradies, doctors, nurses, engineers and scientists; and a country that wants to compete globally while remaining fair at home. None of that is possible without a strong, accessible and well-planned tertiary education system, and none of it is possible if we allow short-term savings to undermine long-term capability. This legislation rejects that short-termism. It chooses planning over drift, equity over exclusion and national interest over political convenience.”
“It will craft mission based compacts with universities. It will provide independent, expert advice. It will take responsibility for the Higher Education Standards Framework. And, every year, it will publish a state-of-the-tertiary-education-system report—independent, transparent and accountable. This bill represents the next chapter in the long story of Labor reforms. The first Universities Commission was established in 1943 by the Curtin Labor government. It was strengthened in later decades because leaders understood that education is central to our nation-building. We have a similar opportunity before us today. This debate is not just about universities as they exist today.”
“We saw Ford and a raft of employers and small businesses across the manufacturing supply chain close down, which caused job losses for thousands. The Liberals smoked our industry and smoked to it. So, when workers need to reskill and find their feet again in the workforce to regain the dignity of work and provide for themselves and for their families, initiatives like this are a necessity. We value education, we value TAFE and free TAFE, we value skills, we value jobs and industry, and we value opportunity—unlike the Liberals, who have a motto enshrined in policy from the top down, in education, health and right across the board, that if you don't pay for something you don't value it. It's important that we enact reform across both the TAFE and university sectors together. The ATEC will bring all this together.”
“It provides real cost-of-living relief whilst also advancing opportunities for Australians to get the skills they need to enter the workforce or to reskill and upskill, which is as important, whether it's a young person leaving school and beginning their journey into higher education towards a career or someone being retrenched in middle age, which is a difficult experience but, when those opposite were in charge, regrettably not an uncommon one in my electorate. They dared our automotive makers to leave, which saw thousands of workers across Melbourne's north held back and left behind. Free TAFE and our TAFE system in general have been the strong driver of economic participation in communities like mine. My electorate of Calwell has seen major changes to its industrial base with the fall of the automotive industry.”
“We moved to a marginal repayment system that is fairer and gentler. As Professor Bruce Chapman has said, this is 'the most important thing that's happened to the system in 35 years'. For my community, it has provided much-needed debt relief to over 24,000 student loan holders in my electorate. This government's commitment to breaking down barriers to accessing higher education goes beyond the university campus. Free TAFE is a model of what the Albanese Labor government stands for.”
“It allows local students to study close to home, connected to academic support and wraparound services, without hours spent commuting. This is what access looks like when policy meets place. We have expanded free university bridging courses, investing an extra $1 billion over 10 years. We have introduced paid prac for teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students—targeted, means tested support for people who need it most. We have expanded medical places and opened new medical schools. We have scrapped the unfair 50 per cent pass rule. We have introduced a demand driven system for Indigenous students wherever they live, and we are already seeing the impact. We have also delivered the biggest cut to student debt in Australian history. We capped indexation. We wiped billions off student debt.”
“Since coming to office, the Albanese Labor government has already implemented 31 of the 47 recommendations of the universities accord report in full or in part. We have more than doubled the number of university study hubs, not only in the regions and the bush but, for the first time ever, in our outer suburbs. These hubs are about breaking down that invisible barrier. In Broadmeadows in my electorate, I am immensely proud of the establishment of the Northern Study Hub, powered by La Trobe University. For years, capable students in my community faced a simple but powerful barrier, distance and access: long travel times, high transport costs, and work and care responsibilities. The university study hub in my community is changing that.”
“The coalition also moved to lower the student loan repayment thresholds, increase repayment rates and introduce lifetime caps on student borrowing, measures that fell hardest on graduates from modest backgrounds, impacting their ability to establish themselves in the workforce. The Group of Eight described the sector being treated as a 'cash cow to be milked for budget cuts' rather than a national asset critical to productivity and opportunity. It was students in the outer suburbs, in the regions and in working-class communities who paid the price—the very Australians who were already least likely to have a degree. This is not ancient history. It's the recent past, and it is precisely why this government is rebuilding a system based on access, equity and long-term stewardship, not short-term savings and silent cuts.”
“It was announced through the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook after the Senate blocked an earlier package of even deeper cuts and fee increases. While those opposite at the time claimed it was not directly capping student places, the reality was obvious to everyone in the sector. If funding does not grow when enrolment grows, universities are pushed to do one of two things: cap places or cut quality. As Universities Australia said at the time, the freeze amounted to a real cut in funding once inflation was taken into account and an even deeper cut for universities serving growing outer suburban and regional communities.”
“An interim Australian tertiary education commission commenced operations on 1 July 2025, laying the groundwork for the permanent commission established by this legislation. The work of the commission has been about lifting the accord off the page and into practice—testing systems, building capability and preparing the sector for the long-term stewardship role the ATEC is designed to play. We also need to be honest about why this reform is necessary. Over almost a decade of Liberal-National coalition governments, Australia's tertiary education system was not just neglected but actively undermined. In 2017, under a Liberal government, the Commonwealth moved to cut $2.2 billion from universities, predominantly through a two-year freeze on Commonwealth Grant Scheme funding for teaching and learning. This freeze did not require legislation.”
“This reform puts equity at the centre of system design, not as an afterthought but as a core responsibility. The ATEC will strengthen quality teaching and learning and internationally competitive research. It will ensure the system has the capacity and capability to meet Australia's current and future student, skills and workforce needs. It will increase equitable access, participation and success; it will promote coordination and collaboration between governments, providers, industry, employers, unions and the public; it will recognise and strengthen the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the tertiary education system; and it will improve coordination between higher education and the VET system. This is about planning, coherence and fairness. These reforms are practical.”
“This legislation will establish the positions of chief commissioner, First Nations commissioner and a third commissioner. These commissioners will have to report to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Skills and Training to ensure that the two most common streams for higher education are working together to strengthen our tertiary education system. It is about ensuring that decisions made today do not close doors tomorrow. It is about recognising that access alone is not enough and that participation, retention and success matter just as much. That is why the ATEC's role in monitoring equity outcomes, advising on funding settings and publishing an annual state-of-the-tertiary-education-system report is so important. Without transparency, inequity becomes invisible. When inequity is invisible, it is easily ignored.”
“This gap extends beyond university: 87 per cent of young people from wealthy families have either a TAFE qualification or a university degree, as opposed to only 59 per cent of young people from those less well off. That means more than 40 per cent of young Australians from families less well off do not have the qualifications they will need in the decades ahead. This is not a failure of aspiration; it is a failure of access. That is why the accord recommended the creation of a strong, independent steward of the tertiary education system, and that is why this government committed to establishing the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. The minister has observed: As someone said to me the other day, the ATEC is the accord. I think it captures the scale of this reform. The accord is big. It is a blueprint for the decades ahead.”
“The accord makes clear that, in the decades ahead, around 80 per cent of jobs in Australia will require a certificate, diploma or degree. That means more people at TAFE, more people at university and more people moving between the two across their working lives. But the accord is equally clear that this will not happen by accident. It will only happen if we break down two big barriers. The first is the artificial barrier we have built between vocational education and higher education. The second is the invisible barrier that stops too many young people from poorer families, from the outer suburbs and from the regions and the bush from getting to university at all. The equity gap is stark: 69 per cent of young Australians from wealthy families have a university degree, but only 19 per cent of young Australians from those less fortunate do.”
“The Albanese Labor government's objective to expand access to higher education for the many, not just the privileged few—whether it be VET, TAFE or university—is not only core to our Labor values but critical for communities like mine, where participation in higher education, like in many outer suburban and regional areas, isn't a given. I want to acknowledge the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, and the leadership he has shown in this space. I know the minister works tirelessly to help open up opportunities for people in the outer suburbs right across this country. As the minister has said, this reform is about building foundations that will last for decades and ensuring that opportunity in this country continues to widen, not narrow. In February 2024, the government released the final report of the Australian Universities Accord.”
“I rise to speak in support of the bills that are before the House: the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025 and the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025. The legislation before us gives effect to a central recommendation of the Australian Universities Accord—a serious, long-term blueprint for reforming Australia's tertiary education system—and reflects the government's commitment to education as a public good and a national priority. It was the determination of successive Labor governments to open the doors of education to working families and to make university and TAFE attainable for people without wealth, privilege or connections.”
“The Albanese Labor government is committed to community led, place based programs that provide early, practical support, meeting young people where they are and backing their potential. That's because, when we invest in young people in their formative years, we are investing in the skills, confidence and potential that strengthen communities for the long term, reducing disadvantage, increasing participation and supporting better outcomes across education and employment.”
“After connecting with YTS, she was able to develop her skills, build confidence and pursue her aspirations, securing work as a youth adviser with the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, followed by full-time employment in the hospitality industry. Similar stories were shared by other participants, including Lencho and Sandra, who connected with YTS activities while undertaking their Adult Migrant English Program studies at local institutions in my community. I want to congratulate these young people not only for their personal achievements but for their generosity in giving back as youth advisers when given the opportunity. Their stories are a powerful reminder of what is possible when we invest in people.”
“Among those we met was Jawid Noorzai, a 21-year-old originally from Afghanistan, who was connected to the YTS program through another local institution, the Kangan Institute, during his studies. Jawid was initially uncertain about his education and employment pathway. With encouragement and support from YTS, he was accepted into a Diploma of Information Technology at RMIT University. Since then, Jawid has pursued a full-time career in the insulation industry and is giving back, through his involvement as a casual youth adviser, to support other young people along similar settlement journeys. We were also introduced to Dina, a 20-year old who came to Australia from Iraq with her family five years ago and now lives in Craigieburn. Dina faced challenges engaging with the education system due to earlier disruptions in life.”
“Last week I joined the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly, in my electorate for a visit to the Brotherhood of St Laurence, where, together, we heard directly from young people in our community who have participated in their Youth Transitions Support Pilot Program. The YTS Pilot Program supports young refugees aged 15 to 25, providing guidance and practical support to help them participate fully in our community through work, education and sport. The program delivers pathways for young refugees to connect with employers, gain work and volunteer experience, and access career guidance, mentoring, training, coaching and support, often at moments when it is needed most.”
“That is the magic of this profession, and it is why this parliament must do everything it can to support nurses to do what they do best: care for people with dignity, skill and humanity. Health care should never depend on where you live, how busy the system is or how long you can afford to wait. This legislation moves us closer to a system that is fairer, more efficient and more responsive to the realities Australians face every day. I commend the bill to the House.”
“Together, these reforms are about protecting the integrity of our universal healthcare system and ensuring it remains fit for purpose. Yesterday, I joined nurses in parliament in support of primary healthcare nurses. They reminded us of the value of patients when nurses are trusted to work to their full scope of practice, something this legislation helps deliver. They reminded us that nurses don't choose this profession because of buildings or systems, but because of a deep commitment to care. And they reminded us that, when illness shrinks a person's world and when fear, uncertainty and vulnerability take hold, nurses are there—present, skilled, compassionate, delivering care when it is needed most and in the ways that matter most.”
“It makes sensible use of the skills already present in our workforce, supports safe and regulated care and removes unnecessary barriers that delay treatment and drive up costs for patients and the system alike. By enabling appropriately trained registered nurses to prescribe PBS subsidised medicines, we improve access, reduce pressure elsewhere in the system, ensure Australians can get the care they need when they need it and expand our healthcare system in sustainable ways. That is good policy. It is responsible reform and it is exactly the kind of practical change our communities expect from their government. This bill builds on a broader agenda: strengthening Medicare, lowering the cost of medicines, expanding bulk-billing and improving access to primary care right across the country.”
“That is what real, effective and on-the-ground policy looks like, translated on the ground with organisations in our community doing amazing work in helping local families thrive. This remarkable turnaround in bulk-billing in my community reflects what is happening across the country. Our government's investment will deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits annually. It will see the number of bulk-billing practices triple to around 4,800 nationally, with nine out of 10 GP visits bulk-billed by 2030. This bill is about making our health system work better for the people who rely on it not in theory but in practice. It recognises that the demand on the health system is real, but it rejects the idea that inaction is the only response.”
“What stood out was their commitment to serving our community, particularly our most vulnerable residents, and the importance of governments backing them with real investment. This past weekend, I was pleased to join the team at the Annadale Family Medical Centre as it reopened after having been out of operation following a tragic fire. It returned to deliver fully bulk-billed medical and allied health care to our community. I give a shout-out to the team there and to the team at Happy Hippo Kindergarten and Childcare in Mickleham. Medical care and child care are essential services families in my community rely on and two things our government is proudly delivering on.”
“When I was first elected, fewer than 40 per cent of general practices in my electorate bulk-billed. Today, that figure stands at 90 per cent, more than doubling. That is an extraordinary achievement that is only possible under a Labor government and a Labor government delivering on its commitments and true to the values which guide it. I've visited clinics in my community that have taken up our bulk-billing incentives, including the Craigieburn Medical and Dental Centre, which moved to 100 per cent bulk-billing following our reforms. I visited the centre alongside Minister Butler and met the dedicated health professionals delivering primary care and working collaboratively with the Northern Hospital in mitigating risks to patients.”
“Labor understands the value of Medicare today just as we did 42 years ago, when Medicare was launched in 1984 by the Hawke Labor government. It was Labor that rebuilt our universal health system after attacks on Medibank, another Labor reform introduced by the Whitlam Labor government. Labor made Medicare, and it is Labor that will always fight to protect and strengthen it. Once again, it has fallen to a Labor government to repair Medicare after a decade of neglect by those opposite, a decade in which Liberals viewed health care through the lens of ideology and profit. It seems that culture of neglect has not left them even in opposition, as they remain consumed by internal squabbles, internal division and an inward-looking focus on themselves rather than a vision for Australia defined by opportunity and possibility.”
“This model of primary care helps free up emergency departments and general practices across the country, reducing wait times, and gives patients and their families more options when they need it. We have also expanded Medicare with 24/7 over-the-phone medical support at no out-of-pocket cost, 100 per cent bulk-billed, through 1800MEDICARE. On this side of the House, we understand that health care is accessed in different ways and at different times. Our policies reflect that reality and ensure care is accessible when Australians need it. I'm proud of these reforms, and the truth is that none of them would be possible without our record investment in Medicare. Medicare is the foundation of Australia's health system. It's not just a green card. It is access to world-class, reliable, affordable and dignified care.”
“This is good health policy and good economic policy, because we know that, when people delay taking their medication, it leads to poorer health outcomes and an increase in the dependency patients have on our health system across the board and into the future. Our government has not only made medicines cheaper. We have also made it easier and more affordable to access in-person primary care. Since coming to government, the Albanese Labor government has rolled out Medicare urgent care clinics right across Australia. These clinics are playing a vital role in providing timely access to care while relieving pressure on our emergency hospital departments.”
“Since coming into government, we have taken decisive action to strengthen our health system and expand access to care for all Australians. This bill builds on another major reform that came into effect that started this year: cheaper medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. From 1 January, the Albanese Labor government capped the cost of PBS medicines at $25, the lowest price since 2004. We've also continued to cap the cost of PBS medicines for pensioners and concession card holders at $7.70. This is policy designed to improve access to health care while also taking real action on the cost of living. It reduces barriers for families across the country when it comes to accessing prescription medicines.”
“The registration standard clearly sets out education requirements, clinical governance arrangements and partnership models. That clarity gives nurses confidence to step into these roles safely. It gives employers confidence to implement them responsibly, and it gives patients confidence that the care they receive is properly regulated and accountable. Many Australians rely on nurses as their most regular point of contact with the health system. When reforms are clearly explained, nationally consistent and professionally endorsed, people are far more likely to engage with the healthcare system early rather than delay treatment. The Albanese Labor government's commitment to breaking down barriers to accessing health care neither starts nor ends here.”
“It is evidence based, nationally consistent and designed with patient safety as its priority. When people ask whether this reform has been properly considered, the answer is clear: it has been years in the making. It is also important to note that consultation is not a process for its own sake. It's about confidence, it's about uptake and it's about adoption. Even the most carefully designed reform will fail if the workforce does not trust it, if employers do not understand it or if patients are unsure about it. Through consultation led by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia since 2017, designated nurse prescribing has been shaped into a model that clinicians understand, employers can support and patients can trust.”
“It is carefully designed, nationally regulated and built on years of consultation and evidence. Since 2017, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, working alongside the Australian Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, has undertaken extensive research and consultation on how registered nurses can safely and effectively contribute to improved health outcomes by working to their full scope of practice. That process has been deliberate and it has been sustained. It has involved regulators, clinicians, educators, medical organisations, primary care stakeholders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health representatives. That matters, because health reform works best when it is done with the workforce not at the workforce. The national registration standard that underpins this bill reflects that approach.”
“For them, accessible health care plays an essential role in their day-to-day lives. We do not believe rising costs and a system perpetually under strain are inevitable. We believe they can be changed, reformed and strengthened. That is why it is so important to break down barriers that prevent families from accessing the health care they need. That's why, in allowing designated registered nurse prescribers to prescribe PBS subsidised medicines, we make better use of the skilled workforce already serving in our communities. We reduce unnecessary delays and we expand the access so people can get the treatment they need when they need it and at a price they can afford. This reform does not lower standards, it does not replace doctors and it does not compromise patient safety.”
“That is why we made a clear commitment to prioritising a range of practical reforms that enable health professionals to deliver timely, accessible and effective care, and this bill does exactly that. This legislation amends the National Health Act to let appropriately trained and endorsed registered nurses to prescribe certain medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, ensuring that those medicines attract Commonwealth subsidy and remain affordable for patients. This is a critical follow-up to the reforms introduced in December 2024, which established a new registration standard to enable qualified nurses to become designated registered nurse prescribers of medicines. Right across my electorate people tell me a familiar story. They are working hard. They are raising families. They are caring for ageing parents and relatives.”
“I rise to speak in support of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill. This reform reflects our government's ongoing commitment to maintaining and strengthening the services that millions of Australians rely on each and every day. In my electorate, interactions with our healthcare system is a lived experience for many. It is something many people live with and seek access to every single day. It determines whether people can get to work, whether children can stay focused at school, whether students can attend their lectures and complete their studies, and whether older Australians can age with dignity, security and continuity of care. The belief that health care should be universal, accessible, affordable and of high quality is a core principle for members on this side of the House.”
“The heroes of Bondi—ordinary Australians who showed extraordinary courage over self-preservation—are Australians like Ahmed al-Ahmed, whose actions saved countless lives by placing himself between danger and strangers, guided by his own convictions and faith. We also remember those whose courage cost them their lives—like Boris and Sofia Gurman, killed after confronting the terrorists as the attack began, acting instinctively and selflessly to protect others. Bondi Beach has been a place of beauty, gathering and renewal since human footprints first pressed into that sand. It holds a treasured place in the story of this country and in the hearts of generations of Australians. This tragedy will not eclipse the spirit of this place nor the hope and belonging that return with every new sunrise over that shore.”
“It's a home where people can live openly, visibly and safely; a home where faith, identity and culture are not hidden but protected; and a home where diversity is a strength, with the right to safety, security and belonging. It is unacceptable that fear should shape the life of any Australian or that any of us should be denied this sense of belonging and home. This is a moment that calls for national unity to confront the worst of hatred and division. Let us honour the victims in the way Australians know best: with unity and without allowing grief to harden to fear or division. We honour the extraordinary bravery shown that night by police officers, paramedics and first responders whose courage and professionalism saved lives.”
“We will defend the right to live openly and safely, and we will respond to hate with resolve. We will stand today, tomorrow and always with all communities who call this country—Australia, in all its diversity—home. The evil of antisemitism wounds more than those it is aimed at. It attacks more than that wonderful expression that was put to me by young members of the Jewish community, something that stuck with me—Jewish joy. Antisemitism corrodes trust. It fractures communities. It tells people they do not belong. Once hate is allowed to grow unchecked against one community, it creates permission for prejudice against all of us, which is why we must never forget that Australia is home to all of us.”
“I joined with the community at the Caulfield Shule to make one thing unmistakably clear: you belong here, never to be silenced by fear or diminished by hate. It should be voice, it should be defended, and it should always be uplifted. Every Jewish Australian has the right to live in peace; to work, to contribute, to worship safely, freely and without fear; to gather in community, proud of who you are; and to be celebrated for the profound contribution the community makes to this nation's strength, its character and its success. The attackers set out to do two things: to take innocent lives and to pull Australia down a dark and dangerous path, one marked by fear, division, hatred and suspicion of one another. They failed. They will fail. Australians will not be divided or defined by fear nor bend to violence.”
“I rise to stand in grief and sorrow with the families and loved ones of the 15 innocent people murdered and all those injured at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. This atrocity, which stole innocent lives, was an act of terrorism deliberately targeted at Australia's Jewish community as people gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. This was a devastating, targeted, antisemitic attack, an attack on our shared values and on all Australians. On the very next day, I stood with members of our Jewish community in Melbourne. I stood with them to mourn, to listen, to grieve and to stand in solidarity. This nation stands with them. Communities right across Australia wrap their arms around them with care, with compassion and with resolve.”
“This is about a $9,000 pay rise for minimum-wage and award workers, for Australian families; 24 weeks of paid parental leave with super on paid parental leave, for Australian families; and energy bill relief of $150 for every household, for Australian families. This is about a $10,000 bonus for housing apprentices, for Australian families; 30 per cent off home batteries, for Australian families; and paid placements for nurses, teachers and social workers, for Australian families. This is about aged care pay rises, expanded bulk-billing, a five per cent deposit for first home buyers, a 20 per cent student debt cut and, from 1 January, all PBS medicines being at $25 or less, for Australian families. That's what we fight for—Australian industry and Australian families.”
“I saw it came with a bit of Saxa salt. Imagine if it came with a bit of mushroom sauce—the big, tasty cookout with the cookers. You tasteless, tasteless bunch. Every coal breakdown, every bit of energy pain—it all comes on the back of their decade of denial. While this government takes action to reduce bills today and reform the market for tomorrow, those opposite choose slogans over solutions. Here's the contrast: while they sulk, fight, hold press conferences during question time and divide, we deliver. In the past year alone, we've delivered for Australian families. That's what this is all about—Australian families and Australian industry.”
“So, when they suddenly proclaim their love of manufacturing, when they get all hasty and lean their elbows against borrowed cars, we will not forget how they attacked Australian families, Australian jobs and Australian industry. And we will take no lectures from them about ministerial focus. Under this government, ministerial roles are transparent. Under theirs, Scott Morrison secretly swore himself into health, finance, Treasury, home affairs, and industry, treating ministries like Pokemon—'gotta catch 'em all!' The member for New England knows a thing or two about extra roles. Now he's off to join the circus that is One Nation, which is fitting, because they've always got a job for a clown in that reactionary outfit, and he comes cheap—really cheap. It took a sandwich press steak to get him over the line.”