Julie-Ann Campbell
Moreton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It was Steven Miles who introduced 50c fares, which go to making sure that people can have relief when they tap their card at the bus or to get on the train. And it was many energy workers who came together to make sure that publicly owned renewables could be back in state government hands.”
“We just heard during the MPI in this parliament every excuse that they could think of—every obfuscation that came to mind, every reason—to not back reform that protects our children. The news I want to give to those opposite is this: we will not lie down when it comes to ensuring that Australian children are safe.”
“It is important to remember that yesterday marked a tax cut, the fifth from this government, for every Australian taxpaying worker. It is important to remember that this government, unlike those opposite, backed in minimum and award wage increases which came into effect yesterday.”
“Yesterday didn't just mark the beginning of a new financial year, it marked the next step in the Albanese Labor government's crusade to ensure that cost-of-living relief is delivered to everyday Australians, and it sits in stark contrast to what we've seen from those opposite this week.”
“If you've ever sat in your car at the Coopers Plains crossing on Boundary Road, you would know that it can feel like an absolute eternity. It's been consistently named by the RACQ as one of the worst crossings in our entire state. Locals in my community have been waiting decades for the promised overpass to that rail level crossing.”
“But if you'd cracked open the LNP's budget last Tuesday, what you would have found as you sorted through the papers is that there was no commitment and no timeline to this important project being delivered, despite the state previously having committed $179.5 million to the project as well.”
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“The project will support native species and create habitat for threatened species. Graceville Riverside Parklands will receive part of $11.7 million, from the government's Thriving Suburbs Program, for six projects in Brisbane. Minister King and I visited the site where this upgrade will happen. It's $1.4 million going into Graceville Riverside Parklands to revitalise the park's existing structure and transform the area with activated, open green space; a children's nature play area; picnic facilities; and riverbank and fauna habitat stabilisation. The Acacia Ridge TAFE is the largest trade training centre in all of the southern hemisphere.”
“In terms of the environment, at Toohey Forest, which Minister Plibersek and the former member for Moreton, Graham Perrett, and I visited early this year, we have a $3 million funding injection for the Brisbane City Council—and I do want to acknowledge the work of our local councillor, Steve Griffiths—to construct a fauna crossing under Toohey Road, connecting two large bushland habitats. It's designed to make sure that koalas, wallabies and echidnas have a safe mode of passage across to fantastic, beautiful parts of bushland in my local community. There is $2 million for the restoration of the Archerfield Wetlands, which forms part of the $200 million Urban Rivers and Catchment Program. This project will restore degraded man-made ponds to natural wetland systems.”
“It means the six to eight lanes will reduce congestion and improve travel times along one of Queensland's busiest roads. Also, the busway extension, a new bus station and the park-and-ride at Rochedale will improve public transport connectivity. It includes an extension of the cycleway for more active transport opportunities, and there will be approximately 700 jobs during construction. So it doesn't matter whether you're riding your bike, you're catching the bus or you're driving your car, it's an investment that Labor have made to ensure that we are getting people home to their families faster and more safely.”
“That's something that we have not ever seen in our part of the world. It will be a first. There has been a $1 billion investment to expand free public mental health services via Medicare, including $225 million for 31 new or upgraded Medicare mental health centres, and one of them will be in the heart of Brisbane's south side. It's got free walk-in mental health care. Every centre provides free access to a psychiatrist and psychologist either onsite or on call. This is an important facility to ensure that, when it comes to mental health, people have the support that they need. There's the M1 upgrade. The Treasurer and I had the great privilege of going out to the park-and-ride at Rochedale just a few days ago. From Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill, the M1 Pacific Motorway upgrade has been completed.”
“It's a community hub on the south side, with players from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, in Acacia Ridge, which is the suburb where I first chose to live—and we decided to stake our claim on the south side because we knew it was a great place to raise a family. That election commitment is for $693,000 to upgrade the change rooms, allowing women and girls to play rugby league on the south side. The Old Bridge Football Club in Salisbury—the club president is Amer Sadikovic—has kids' football and 150 senior players. We made an election commitment of $190,000 to install new lighting at that club so it will be able to host games and run training at night. That will help the club attract more players and increase participation from juniors all the way through to seniors. There will be a Medicare mental health clinic in Moorooka.”
“We've been talking about the big picture, and it's something that impacts on people in my electorate every single day. It's reflected everyday. These measures in the budget add to significant Labor commitments to the community. We're delivering on health, we're boosting our green spaces and we're providing tangible support to grassroots community groups. There's the Southern Suburbs Junior Rugby League club, or Souths Junior Magpies, with their president, Ryan Bartley. I'm incredibly excited that we made an election commitment to deliver an important upgrade to the change rooms at that facility.”
“We know that those opposite not only want to raid people's super to address housing, causing significant issues to people's future nest eggs, but failed to have a housing minister for most of their tenure last time they were government. In the last three years, over 180,000 Australians bought their first home with a five per cent deposit, and more than a million households have been supported with our 45 per cent increase to rent assistance. More than 500,000 homes have been built since we came to office. There are 28,000 social and affordable homes in planning and construction with Labor's investments. When you contrast that with those opposite, we know that, when it comes to social and affordable dwellings, they built just 300-odd houses. I want to take the opportunity to talk about my electorate of Moreton.”
“It strengthens Medicare with increasing rates of bulk-billing, and we're doing more training for doctors and nurses to be able to deliver it. When it comes to housing, we're making it easier to buy, we are making it better to rent, and we are building more homes, because we know that the challenges around housing are hard for everyday families. We know that this is something that has been building not just for the last few years but for 40 years. What we also know is that the opposition has been a major contributor to the challenges that we face around housing. It's not just young people trying to get in their first home; it's families who are trying to scrape together rent and also save for their first home. It is parents who are worried about whether their children will ever get into the housing market.”
“My daughter Margaret, who turned two in June, has something called reactive airways, and what that means is she has trouble breathing sometimes. For our family to be able to nip down to the Oxley urgent care clinic and get an assessment quickly, professionally and without having to wait in enormous emergency room lines for people who are more critical than her, it means that, as a family, we have peace of mind and the advice that we need, when we need it. It's not just on the south side of Moreton. It's not just at the PA. It's not just at Canossa at Oxley. This is 87 urgent care clinics across the country, and there are plans for an additional 50. This is an example of how Labor delivers when it comes to health care.”
“From 1 January 2026, the maximum cost of medicines on the PBS for everyone with a Medicare card and no concession card will be lowered from $31.60 to $25 per script. Labor created the PBS, and it runs through our veins—the importance of making sure that health care is accessible and that health care is affordable. This is the lowest in 20 years. It will remain frozen at $7.70 for pensioners, and $1.8 billion has been invested for new medicines on the PBS. We've seen that from the health minister just today. Urgent care clinics and strengthening Medicare are some of the other important things that we're doing to make sure that health care remains affordable and accessible, and, in my patch, I am lucky enough to have an urgent care clinic in Oxley.”
“We're cutting a combined $19 billion in student loans for three million Australians, reducing all HELP debt and other student debts by 20 per cent. These reforms made indexation arrangements fairer, limiting future indexation and retrospectively reducing the indexation applied in 2023 and in 2024, which have already decreased student loan debt by $3 billion. It's designed to give people a flying start to life, because, when you start your career, when you start your family and when you start your journey towards your future, having 20 per cent off your debt makes a difference. Deputy Speaker Freelander, I want to go to health—something very close to your heart—and making medicines cheaper.”
“I'll tell you, in Queensland, where we had a Labor government that also delivered back-to-back energy rebates for people in my patch, what that meant and what that continues to mean is hundreds of dollars worth of energy relief. When you get your bill, it means it's going to be cheaper. This is around $1.8 billion in additional payments on top of the nearly $5 billion of bill relief delivered so far. I spoke earlier about cutting student debt, but it bears repeating, because this Labor government has cut student debt by 20 per cent. It doesn't matter if you have a university debt, it doesn't matter if you have a TAFE debt, it doesn't matter if you are studying to be a sparky or if you are studying to be a journalist at university—wherever you are and whoever you are, you will get a 20 per cent cut when it comes to your student debt.”
“We did the first round in July 2024, and additional cuts in both 2026 and 2027 are coming down the pipeline so that people are paying less tax at the same time as Labor is investing in making sure that some of the lowest paid workers are given a pay rise. This is all in the context of inflation coming down from having a six in front of it to having a two in front of it. It is all in the context of making sure that we have kept unemployment at a low level and of delivering a critical tax cut to everyone around the country. Energy bill relief is one of the other things that we have been incredibly passionate about. We have been delivering for people across Australia and extending relief to the end of 2025 for every household and around one million small businesses—two $75 rebates.”
“When it comes to the opposition, what is clear is that they do not want to take action on the cost of living—because, if you don't vote for 20 per cent off HECS, if you don't vote for free TAFE, if you don't vote for a tax cut, if you don't vote for better health care, that means that you are voting against tackling the cost of living. I would like to spend my time tonight talking not only about what Labor has done in terms of the cost of living and health care and in terms of housing but also about what we're doing locally in my community. When it comes to the cost of living, Labor has undertaken a tax cut. We know the opposition has voted against that tax cut—because Labor helps Australian taxpayers earn more and keep more of what they earn.”
“The 2025-26 budget is firmly focused on those issues—not just talking about them, not just empty rhetoric about them, not blocking them as we have seen the Greens and the Liberals do together, not mere chatter, but actual delivery when it comes to these critical issues. The member for Mallee talked about truth bombs before. I tell you that, particularly when it comes to the cost of living, the biggest truth bomb in this chamber is the fact that those opposite have voted against every single cost-of-living measure that Labor has put forward.”
“In my electorate on the south side of Brisbane, it doesn't matter if you're speaking over the back fence in Corinda, it doesn't matter whether you're on someone's doorstep having a conversation in Salisbury, and it doesn't matter whether you're down at the shops in Sunnybank; the conversation is always the same. The thing that is impacting people in my electorate on Brisbane's south side, and indeed across Australia, is the cost of living. During the election campaign, I had the great privilege of speaking to thousands of people from across Moreton, and they told me very clearly that what matters to them is the cost of living, health and housing.”
“The government is also focused on cutting the red tape that can cause delays in building houses. Participants in Labor's recent Economic Reform Roundtable were in broad agreement that the regulatory burden on builders needs to be decreased. This will be a fundamentally life-changing reform for prospective first home buyers. We know it's tough; we know we need to take action. That's why Labor is throwing the kitchen sink at the housing crisis. Labor are the only ones who can invest in the means for young people, for families— (Time expired)”
“Labor's comprehensive approach to this involves funding the development of infrastructure needed for housing—those are the roads, that's the sewerage, that's the energy and those are the water connections needed for new developments and more social housing. Labor is training the workforce for this for free, with more free TAFE places in the construction industry so we can train the tradies that we need to build these homes. In my local electorate of Moreton on Brisbane's south side, we are the proud home to the largest trade-training centre in the entirety of the Southern Hemisphere. This is not only a place where people will have access to free TAFE but also a place where people will build those homes of the future and get the skills they need to be able to do so.”
“Housing Australia tells us that over 230,000 Australians have already bought their first home because they've accessed the scheme. I'm excited to see how much this number grows now that eligibility has been expanded. We've supported one million households with nearly 50 per cent rent assistance increases. Since May 2022, new housing approvals are up by 30 per cent, and half a million homes have been built. There are 28,000 social and affordable homes in the planning and construction phases. As the Minister for Housing said, we know the long-term solution to address the housing crisis in our country is to build, build, build.”
“We are increasing property price caps so that they are in line with average house prices, and this increase broadens the scope from small apartments, units or homes a long way from where people work. The benefits speak for themselves. A five per cent deposit slashes years off the time required to save for a deposit. It will save prospective buyers thousands of dollars in lenders mortgage insurance, not to mention rental payments, whilst saving. We want people to be able to spend their hard earned dollars not on someone else's mortgage but on their own. We're backing the five per cent deposit scheme because we know it works, and, on average, there are 6,000 more first-home-buyer loans a year under this government, in comparison with the former government.”
“The only thing that's bizarre and ridiculous when it comes to housing is the fact that those opposite have continually failed to act and have continually neglected to take action when it comes to putting supports in place and giving the support needed for young people to get into their first homes, for families to get into their first homes and for people who are struggling to rent. The headline news about housing last week was that the Albanese government has moved to help first home buyers get a home of their own faster. We have moved our plan forward by three months so that first home buyers can buy a home with a five per cent deposit from 1 October this year. The scheme will be uncapped so that every first home buyer can access its benefits. There are no income limits and no limits on places.”
“Their contribution to the housing pool was a total of 373 social and affordable homes. That's an average of 41 houses built per year. Their lack of interest didn't change during the last parliament, and, in fact, they put all of their energy into teaming up with the Greens political party to block Labor's housing initiatives. They voted against Help to Buy, and they promised to abolish the scheme. It doesn't look like things have changed much this term. They are simply not interested in supporting first home buyers to turn their dreams into a reality. The shadow housing minister described Labor's five per cent deposit announcement as 'bizarre and ridiculous', laying bare their contempt for young battling Australians.”
“I think the coalition do have ideas when it comes to solving the housing crisis, and we know what those ideas are because the coalition put forward a proposal that the way to solve the housing crisis is to raid your super—to take from the money set aside for people's futures and use it to fix a housing crisis that they were instrumental in causing. What we now know about raiding your super is that it has monumental impacts on young people's futures, because we know that not only does it have the potential to cripple people's nest eggs; the vast majority of economists have said that it simply won't work and will place enormous inflationary pressure on the system. That is what the coalition's solution is to fixing a housing crisis. For most of the decade of neglect, they didn't even have a housing minister.”
“Fixing this mess will take time—anyone who tells you it can be fixed overnight is being disingenuous—but we have to start now, and we have to go hard if we're going to make a difference. That's why the Albanese Labor government is taking unprecedented steps to resolve it with an ambitious and multifaceted approach. Our $43 billion agenda is focused on three main drivers: firstly, building more homes; secondly, making it better to rent; and thirdly, making it easier to buy. The page in front of me says that the coalition have no ideas when it comes to solving the housing crisis, but I don't actually think that's true.”
“Then it took a decade of neglect from those opposite to really solidify it. In the suburbs of Moreton, I've spoken to young people who are concerned that they will never be able to afford to buy a home of their own. They've spoken to me about teaming up to buy a house. I've listened to gen Xers who are worried that their kids won't know financial security in their lifetimes and who can't afford to help out and get them a foothold in the property market. I've seen the pressure pile onto renters as they struggle to both find a place to live and afford increasing rent costs. I've spoken to community groups who are supporting rising numbers of people experiencing homelessness.”
“Housing is hard whether you're looking to buy your very first home or you're looking to rent for your family. The realities of the housing market mean that there are barriers in the way of home ownership for many Australians. Owning your own home has become a life-defining challenge for many. Despite hard work and diligent saving, many people cannot afford to buy their own home. Labor wants a generation of Australians who feel left behind on housing to have the benefits and security that having your own home brings. It's the foundation of the extensive work this government is doing in supporting Australians to get into homes of their own. Australia's housing crisis wasn't created overnight, and it wasn't created in the last three years. It's been gathering momentum for 40 years, when not enough houses were being built.”
“When I was growing up, the phrase 'the Australian dream' meant something, and it meant something to everyone; it was understood. It meant owning your own home. The Australian dream conjured up pictures of a house on a quarter-acre block with, perhaps, a hills hoist in the background and some kids and a dog running underneath a sprinkler on a hot summer day. Owning a home was a symbol of success, and it became part of our national identity. The Australian dream, at that time, was both aspirational and achievable. These days, the phrase 'the Australian dream' has evolved to encompass other facets of what it means to be Australian. What hasn't changed, however, is the need to have a safe and stable place to call home. Right now, that's tough because housing is hard across our country. It's hard in my community.”
“On top of all that, we have seen support given in critical services, in important parts of the economy. Whether it's 20 per cent off student debt or it's 20 per cent cheaper for medicines, we have seen Australian workers support it. What is clear is that this government knows that real wages are not an impediment to a better future for Australians.”
“Real wages are improving, and this is good news for hardworking Australians. It's been backed up by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which has released data that indicates that annual real wages have now grown for seven consecutive quarters under the Albanese Labor government. Real wages grew 1.3 per cent through the year to the June quarter 2025—the strongest annual real wages growth since June 2020. The coalition said it couldn't be done. They said you couldn't increase wages without impacting other bits of the economy. And what have we seen, Deputy Speaker Scrymgour? We have seen inflation go from having a six in front of it, under the coalition, to having a two in front of it. What have we seen? We have seen unemployment stay low.”
“In December 2022, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill received royal assent. The act put into place critical amendments that focused on workplace relations laws relating to bargaining, job security, gender equality, compliance, enforcement and workplace conditions, protections and relations institutions. One of the stipulations of the legislation was an independent statutory review of the changes. In mid-August, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations tabled that final report, the Secure jobs, better pay review . The final report said: … the early signs are that collective bargaining is increasing, especially the coverage of collective agreements, and real wages (and other indicators of workers' economic circumstances) have started to improve.”
“Those opposite thought, 'This must be a mistake.' Those opposite thought that the idea of increasing wages for some of the lowest paid people in our society and in our community could not possibly have been done by design and that it must have been an error, because it was so fanciful to them—the idea that someone would stand up for working people and stand up for the minimum wage to be increased. This is where the stark difference between us and those opposite comes into play. When it comes to a living wage, when it comes to driving fair wages and when it comes to helping and supporting some of the most vulnerable in our community, while they think that it is a mistake, we believe that working people should be supported in their jobs to have fair wages and dignity in work every single day.”
“The reason it is a talking point is that it is something that is critical to making sure that our community is supported. I repeat it because of that. It's what drives this government. When we speak to core Labor values of economic justice, a just wage and a fair wage, that is what Labor stands for every day. I want to take you back to the 2022 election campaign. During the 2022 election campaign, then opposition leader Anthony Albanese was asked a question. He was asked whether or not he would support an increase to the minimum wage, and he said, 'Absolutely.' What was so interesting about that question was that those opposite thought that that was a 'gotcha'.”
“I want to talk about what the member for Riverina has just said because I am a Queenslander, and I'll tell you what we know about Queensland when it comes to working people. When it comes to working people, we know that the LNP has repeatedly tried to strip working people of their conditions. We know that the LNP has tried to systematically make sure that working people's access to critical services has been cut. We know that, when it comes to manufacturing, the LNP has a track record of taking manufacturing jobs offshore and making communities hurt because of it. That is the track record that we know when it comes to working people. Today, I want to open by saying that the Albanese Labor government wants Australians to earn more and to keep more of what they earn. That is something that you hear in this chamber a lot.”
“This bill is critical to continuing that legacy for people who work for the Commonwealth and for people who support Australians every day.”
“We know that a workplace is a place where you go every day and you should understand and have the confidence and know that, when you get there, you will be safe. We know that a workplace is somewhere where you often spend more time with your colleagues at that workplace than with your family. And, when you go to that workplace, safety is paramount. No-one should ever feel compromised when it comes to safety in their day-to-day work. This legislation aims to decrease the number of violent acts happening at face-to-face centres and to ensure the safety of people in their workplace every single day. Ensuring that workers are taken care of, ensuring that workers have confidence, ensuring that workers have agency, ensuring that workers feel safe, ensuring that workers feel supported is what Labor has always stood for.”
“Accordingly, many customers also present with complex vulnerabilities that can impact their engagement with agency staff. Violence towards any worker is unacceptable, and this bill sends a very strong message that Labor both values the workers who serve the public and is determined that they will be safe in their jobs. As I said at the beginning, it is critical that, no matter whether you work in the private sector, in the public sector, in retail, in hospitality or for any of the agencies that support the most vulnerable Australians in our community, every single day, you deserve respect. And Labor has always worked to ensure that that respect is given. This bill is critical to taking the next step to stop people from being abused in their own workplaces. And we know that a workplace is a place where you should feel safe.”
“These customers would have experienced what the Ashton review describes as 'a very strong service ethos'. The vast majority of these interactions would have been positive. I would like to express my thanks to the hardworking people of Services Australia for their dedication to their roles, often in incredibly challenging circumstances. The people who work in Commonwealth services and for Services Australia must be applauded, celebrated and given the respect that they deserve for doing jobs that help people every day—doing jobs that are critical to the fabric of a society that cares for its people. As Mr Ashton stated, Australians need the agency and its staff during times in their lives when they may be most vulnerable or in crisis.”
“It is important to note that, if a person is given a workplace protection order, it does not prevent them from accessing critical Commonwealth services as they require, or exercising their right to engage in political communication. If an applicant is seeking conditions that would limit the respondent's access to Commonwealth services or right to political communication, they must outline how alternative arrangements will work. In 2021-22, Services Australia had 26.4 million Medicare customers, 11.4 million Centrelink customers and 1.2 million child support customers, customers who are people—everyday Australian citizens who rely on Commonwealth services for their health care; everyday Australian citizens who rely on Centrelink to support them and their families; everyday Australian citizens who rely on child support.”
“The second category is consent orders, which are made with agreement from all parties. Lastly, final orders are a long-term protection, typically lasting up to two years. Contravening a workplace protection order may carry a penalty of 120 penalty units or two years of imprisonment or, in some cases, both. Conditions within the orders include no contact with a Commonwealth worker or no attendance at a Commonwealth workplace. This covers people working at Services Australia, the Australian Taxation Office, the Veterans Affairs' offices, Australia Post and ministerial and electorate offices—the people on our front line. It covers those subcontractors who also help these places run smoothly, the security guards and the cleaners.”
“Labor has always fought to have a strong Public Service. We have fought to make sure that we have the best and brightest working for the Commonwealth in critical services that people in this country rely on every day. To attract those people, to have a strong workforce, people need to understand and know and have the guarantee that this will not happen in their workplace and that they will be protected. Commonwealth, state or territory courts will be able to assess applications. The bill allows for urgent applications to be applied for over the phone or via electronic means. The courts will consider a range of conditions to impose on a respondent to ensure the protection and safety of Commonwealth workers and subsequently decide on the type of order. These can be interim, which give temporary protection before a final decision.”
“The Commonwealth Workplace Protection Order scheme will be available in most Commonwealth workplaces and, indeed, anywhere where a Commonwealth worker is undertaking official Commonwealth work. That includes pop-ups in shopping centres or a worker's house when they are working from home. The bill will let certain people from Commonwealth organisations apply to specific courts for a workplace protection order to help keep a worker or workplace safe. This bill resolves a legislative gap in some state and territory protection order schemes, because, under this legislation, the worker who has been targeted does not need to apply for a workplace protection order in their own name. This measure boosts the privacy of Commonwealth workers and gives additional protections because we want a strong Public Service.”
“This bill implements recommendation 17—that the current ACT workplace protection order provisions should be adopted for use by the Commonwealth as a staff protection mechanism nationwide, because it doesn't matter where you work—it doesn't matter if you're working in Queensland or working in the Territory, it doesn't matter if you're working in a city, it doesn't matter if you're working in the regions, it doesn't matter if you are working in rural or remote Queensland, it doesn't matter if you are working in any other state—you deserve protection in your workplace regardless of your postcode, regardless of your job, regardless of what you do day in and day out.”
“Others are focused on physical security, expressing the need for upgraded security systems, security features of lobby designs and the employment of security guards. The Albanese Labor government has accepted every single one of those 44 recommendations.”
“Amongst other things, Mr Ashton was tasked with assessing the adequacy of the physical security measures at service centres and reviewing state criminal laws to ensure the maximum protection for both staff and customers. The findings of the report acknowledge that a key part of the role of Services Australia employees is to support Australians during challenging times in their lives. These are some of Australia's most vulnerable people when they may be at their most vulnerable. As the report stated, this highlights the need to prioritise the security and safety of staff, particularly when working in isolated locations and service centres in regions and rural communities. As I said, the review resulted in 44 recommendations. Some concern culture and management, such as an ethos of staff feedback and leadership.”
“Services Australia has 318 service centres across Australia. As at 30 June 2023, its face-to-face service division employed nearly 6½ thousand staff. The number of serious incidents across these service centres directly affecting these staff between July 2023 and June 2024 is extremely concerning. There were 1,694 incidents. That's over four per day. This frequency highlights the need for action and the need for action to happen right now, and that is exactly what the Albanese Labor government is doing here tonight. The former member for Maribyrnong commissioned the Services Australia Security Risk Management Review in 2023 after a government employee was seriously assaulted with a bladed weapon while at work. The review was led by Mr Graham Ashton, and it's worth taking a closer look at some of its 44 recommendations.”
“This bill complements the Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Commonwealth Frontline Workers) Act 2024. This was driven by the Albanese government and implements increased penalties for harming a Commonwealth front-line worker. The Labor government has an incredibly proud history not only of protecting workers but of supporting workers. We only have to look at the eight-hour day, the fantastic and incredibly important workplace health and safety legislation introduced not only in this place but also in states and territories across the breadth and depth of our country, superannuation, and the repeal of Work Choices and AWAs to know that Labor has always at its heart ensured that working people were protected and have the support that they fundamentally need day in, day out in the workplace.”
“The effects of violence in the workplace can have long-lasting negative impacts on workers and their families, workplace culture and other members of the public. This bill, the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2025, will establish a new act, the Commonwealth Workplace Protection Orders Act, which will in turn provide a Commonwealth workplace protection orders scheme. The key objectives of this bill are to, firstly, provide legal protections for Commonwealth workplaces and workers and, secondly, to deter members of the public from violent and aggressive behaviour towards them—because we will not cop threats to working people, we will not cop abuse directed at working people and we will not cop violence when working people are its target. Labor takes protecting workers incredibly seriously.”
“If you work in hospitality waiting tables, you should not have to put up with that. If you work in retail at the check-out, you should not have to put up with that. And, if you work for the Commonwealth, you should not have to put up with that. Unfortunately, it is far too often not the case. The staff of Services Australia and other Commonwealth workplaces who are our front-line workers for government payments and services are, sadly, accustomed to being on the receiving end of abuse as they do their jobs. These are the people who process our Centrelink payments, who answer our taxation queries, who deal with passport inquiries and who run elections to make sure that our democracy runs. They are the face, they are the front line, and they deserve to be treated with respect. It is simply not good enough to have it any other way.”
“You will see the signs when you take the car through the drive-through to pick up take-out on the way home. You will see the signs when you sit in the doctor's office waiting to go in to see the GP when you're sick. You will see the signs as you go through the check-out to buy your groceries on a weekly basis. It is now commonplace to see these signs that adorn walls, shopfronts and the counters of so many different places in our communities. Those signs state that aggressive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated. Behaviour such as physical assault, abusive language, threats and verbal harassment will not be tolerated. I am sure that we can all agree that all workers, no matter where they work, should not have to put up with abuse and that they deserve to feel safe in their workplace.”
“This is the case for patients with prostate cancer, who, without the subsidy for Talzenna and Xtandi, would have to pay over $100,000 per course of treatment. The medicine Retevmo is used to fight a type of non-small cell lung cancer, and under the PBS patients avoid a course of treatment that can cost $280,000. And there are many more examples. My apologies, Deputy Speaker Freelander; I definitely messed up the pronunciation of that medicine!”